All floors should be made coed for a more enriching college experience
Living in a new environment can feel overwhelming, especially living in a college residence hall.
First-years and older students alike have surely had some interesting experiences staying with a roommate in close proximity to their peers. Even people who chose to live with hometown friends still face uncertainty dealing with their whole floor.
For first-years in particular, floors in the North Complex are organized as both single-sex and coed. To promote a more enriching college experience, all first-year dorms should be coed.
My first few weeks residing on an all-female floor have been sub-par.
When imagining dorm life, I pictured myself developing close relationships with people who felt comfortable stepping through an open door. In reality, I only know five women on my floor including my roommate. Certain groups have already been formed, so many don’t bother with friendliness on a regular basis. One would think having to climb four flights of stairs every day would result in collective bonding, but it hasn’t.
Admittedly, getting used to the potential awkwardness of living across the hall from the opposite gender appears daunting. As a female on a single-gender floor I can agree having an extra bathroom is a perk. Simultaneously, however, I feel I’m missing out on a key aspect of college life.
“Pomona College, a premier liberal arts institution, houses all of its students in coed dorms. Carnegie’s philanthropy is an environment that encourages “intellectual development and personal growth,” fostering a vibrant community where students can learn from diverse perspectives and forge lifelong connections.”
This mindset fuels the belief that learning should in all areas of life, be not just inside a classroom. Surrounding oneself with diverse personalities, like any situation in life, exposes you to many more perspectives and interests. In turn, college earns its reputation for being an enriching time full of new opportunities.
Coed residents learn to release the stigma that the opposite gender is a completely foreign creature. In such close quarters, men and women can find a new-found respect for each other.
One can toss any previous judgments or expectations out the window. It’s truly eye-opening to realize, in essence, we are all human.
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Gender shouldn’t be a barrier in everyday behavior and friendship. It turns out women and men have many more similarities than differences between each other. College, an age of discovery, is a perfect time to realize this.
The balance created when males and females share a living space has many benefits. Although I won’t be able to enjoy these advantages this year, I highly urge the university to consider changing their first-year living policies. All new students deserve the chance to not only learn to appreciate themselves, but also whoever they encounter, no matter their gender.
