A link to the original AP story would have been nice. I suspect that this program is not available to incoming freshman, as the school assigns the first roommate. As an option for upperclassmen, who already know each other? I'm surprised the administration is willing to take on all the problems associated with roommates who become incompatible and request room reassignments, or police assistance.

Here's a link to the story, which is, unfortunately, not available at The Sun-Sentinel online edition:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-05-02-99365737_x.htm

Nothing like having the college administrators endorse this insanity. The kids will do whatever is available. The blame lies at the feet of the idiots running th campus. There is absolutely nothing to be gained from this experiment. Turn their head when the other is dressing? Parents should be outraged.

You know I wouldn't want to be assigned a random female, but back in college I had some female friends that I could have lived with. As far as I know, they don't ask for sexual preference on college applications and I knew a few people who were randomly assigned gay roomates, which was quite uncomfortable for them.

John, get your head out of your butt. The kids know what they're getting into ahead of time and could always move somewhere else. Legally they're adults and are probably banging everything with a pulse at college anyway. As Nick pointed out, there's also a higher and higher chance of gay students being placed together. Get over it.

Thank you Pete for posting the link. While talking to some of my friends with college age kids about this over the weekend the response ranged from outrage, just like you expressed John to indifference.

Didn't read the story, just the headline, but what would the big deal be?

So many kids swap roomates at the dorms so their boyfriends can live with their girlfriends already.

So many kids move from the dorms into a coed apartment or get together as a group and rent a house.

I don't get it? Of couse all I read was the headline and started spouting off my nonsense.

What's the big deal. I went to undergraduate school at UMass Amherst and they had co-ed dorms. When I graduated I dated several women from a small catholic girls college in N.E.Pennsylvania. You know what, I got laid more with the women from the catholic girls college than I did at UMass. Go figure!!!

It's no wonder the country is sinking into the abyss. The cavalier attitude about college administrators endorsing this insanity. I could care less what the students do when it's of their own doing. That is their business. But college administrators should never endorse this insane policy on their campus. Period. And we wonder why 1 in 4 kids have some type of STD? Hey, give the 9 year old the car keys. No problem. You guys need to get your heads out of your behinds.

You sound like you have anger issues John. I can understand you don't agree and that's fine, but it's been going on for years and years anyway.

I don't think we have our heads in our behinds, but I think you might have your head in the sand.

Where did you get your statistic about 1 in 4 with STD or was that something you heard?

Giving a 9 year old car keys? I started driving when I was 11 out of necessity.

If w're going to get angry about something let's get angry at the dam junk food tax.

How silly. If college campuses want co-ed dorm rooms they might as well have co-ed bathrooms and co-ed locker-rooms. My concerns are about safety (rape, molestation), gender privacy, and hygiene issues. I suspect college boys are on board with co ed dorms; the ladies, not so much. In college housing, dorms are used mostly by underclassmen and international students; most 2nd-4th yr students opt for apartments off campus. College is a hot bed of sexual experimentation so college students have never been thwarted by single sex or co ed dorms. If co ed dorm rooms offend you, choose another college.

No I wouldn't want to run around in my skivvies in front
of a room mate of the
opposite sex or really see her do the same.
What is the point in all of this?

I feel co-ed dorms as we called in the 1970 when I was in school was very popular. Freeshman had to be approved by parents to be assigned a coed dorm. The rate of relationship being developed was less then 1 percent. I was in coed in my freesman year and never had any problem except for the first time I saw my female roommate in her bra and panties, That got a reation from me but nothing else.

I feel co-ed dorms as we called in the 1970 when I was in school was very popular. Freeshman had to be approved by parents to be assigned a coed dorm. The rate of relationship being developed was less then 1 percent. I was in coed in my freesman year and never had any problem except for the first time I saw my female roommate in her bra and panties, That got a reation from me but nothing else.

When I lived on campus, I hated the fact that I couldn't be in a coed apartment. Not because I'm some whore who wants to bunk a bunch of guys, but because all of my friends happened to be guys. There's nothing wrong with these kind of arrangements. We assume people are mature enough to fight in wars at the age of 18, why can't we also assume that they're responsible enough to live with the opposite sex? We all know college kids are already having a lot of sex. This wouldn't change very much.

My daughter shares a three bedroom off campus housing unit with a guy and a lesbian. Guess which one gives her the most problems?

Sharing a rooming house where every one has their own room is one thing. But sharing a room at the age of 18-21 with someone of the opposite gender would be akward at best.

Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria!

Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria!

CJS - those STD rates were in the paper recently. Try a google search and you'll see the picture is not pretty. Plenty of info for your pleasure. Now being that we're in a health-care "crisis", I would say this lifestyle falls under the label of risky. Same as obesity, smoking, etc. Every single person paying into the health-care system is affected. Therefore it is irresponsible for the campus authorities to endorse unhealthy lifestyles. They do not have to prohibit it. That's impossible and un-American. But they should never, ever, condone it. I'm not angry.. until my taxes explode due to this type of nonsense. And if you were driving at 11, you should not have. There is no excuse. That alone tells me you have issues.

By the way, with regards to rising STD rates, look at the swine flu panic at the schools. All the hand-wringing over a curable sickness. Look at the steps being taken to minimize infection. STD's are life changing. Yet, no panic? That is a major league double standard.

there are websites that discuss these types of issues and sexual health for collge students like Dr. Zary Tavakoli's lovebugmedia.com

www.lovebugmedia.com

This is ridiculous. I don't see what the big deal is about voluntary coed dorms. These are college students for crying out loud(18+). I'm pretty sure they are at the age where they are comfortably having sex, so they know what genitals are. I bet overprotective and ignorant parents are really getting their panties in a knot about this...