No Co-Ed Housing?

As everyone gears up to finalize their plans for next year’s housing at USC, a topic comes to my mind that our University does not have much of a place for: coeducational living.

Co-ed housing is a no-go in any USC-owned buildings. Roommates are not allowed to be of different sexes. Furthermore, an apartment with, for example, two bedrooms with two roommates a piece, still needs to be all-male or all-female.

There are some obvious arguments about presumed sexual behavior between residents in the same room. I do not think that this is something that should be assumed of opposite-sex residents, though. If people want to have sex, they are going to do it regardless. Furthermore, if two individuals want to make the choice to live together, they are going to have to be responsible enough to deal with that decision…and it is not as if they cannot make that exact decision in some off-campus (non-USC) housing, for that matter.

The issue of housing also presents a problem for many homosexual individuals. There are definitely some homosexual men, for example, who may not want to be forced to live with a heterosexual male, for fear of their roommate not feeling comfortable. However, if they cannot live with a female, then there really are not any other options available.

To me, it just seems dumb that we do not have the option. I think it is high time that the University ditches its age-old practices are gives the students the freedom to choose how they want to live. We are old enough to make our own decisions.