Co-eds in School

Help me out here guys. I'm doing a presentation on the idea of co-eds in school hostels/dormitories (meaning guys and gals living together), which is quite a controversial topic since we have segregation of the sexes between floors.
I need to know the general ideas your countries have or extents to which co-edding is allowed: for example do they share the same floors or the very same rooms. Also, the impact on your society and the ease in which anyone can remembers this being accepted when it was first implemented.
So: guys and girls living together: feasible cultural norm?

Mixed floors in dormitories are not uncommon at all here in the states. There are some dorm that have floors that are single-sex and some floors co-ed, but I'm not so sure about guys and girls in the very same rooms. I've seen it lots of times but I don't know if it was university-sanctioned. From what I've seen there isn't too much impact on college society because everyone parties together and the sexes mix there anyway, but then again I haven't seen many co-ed roommates or the effects of such a pairing really. Parents are often concerned about their girls, and sometimes their boys, too, when there's a co-ed floor in a dorm, but this is generally accepted in society. It's completely feasible once people drop their fear of the uncertain.

Mixed floors in dormitories are not uncommon at all here in the states. There are some dorm that have floors that are single-sex and some floors co-ed, but I'm not so sure about guys and girls in the very same rooms. I've seen it lots of times but I don't know if it was university-sanctioned. From what I've seen there isn't too much impact on college society because everyone parties together and the sexes mix there anyway, but then again I haven't seen many co-ed roommates or the effects of such a pairing really. Parents are often concerned about their girls, and sometimes their boys, too, when there's a co-ed floor in a dorm, but this is generally accepted in society. It's completely feasible once people drop their fear of the uncertain.

This also applies to the Netherlands. Schools/universities will generally try to keep boys/girls apart when it comes to rooms, but floors? Only when the groups are so large they occupy whole floors, I guess. Personally, I don't think many people (apart from religious zealots) will have moral objections to this.

Mr U

Mmnnh. Fascinating. So it's more a floor phenomenon. Sharing a room still sounds pretty taboo I guess...but it wasn't the partying I was afraid of; more the increased risk of promiscuity and such. Oh and hey HU the teacher for this subject I'm presenting on (Critical Thinking) is Dutch, and he rocks! 'Guy hates Bush, too. ;) I'm wondering if you're related; lmao...

Well, the policy on both High-school and the college I am on right now is that girls are not allowed on boy-rooms and vice versa. And yes, it's mainly about promiscuity, yes. Partying is fine :D.

Dutch? Cool! Be sure to tell him about this site ;).

Mr U

Quick statistic I read the other day: rape reports are 12 times higher on co-ed floors of Universities than single-sex floors.

And now for my view on all this:

My college is a religious one (lol although Iwouldn't consider us all to be a bunch of "religious zealots"). Therefore, they don't allow guys and girls to sleep in the same building. It sounds horrid at first, but believe me- it's really not bad. haha, I guess if it was, I wouldn't be here...

Perhaps I should specify. In the Netherlands, as far as I know, there is no real campus as there is in the US. We don't have dormitories, instead students rent a room in the city they are studying in. These rooms are generally in one 'student building', and they are mixed.

However, if there are 'excursions' and everyone has to fit into one building, rooms are more important than floors...

Mr U

No true dormitories?! This changes quite a lot....and it's interesting seeing your side Psycik. Which country are you? Would you then support a change, no matter how much you like this situation? Official reports like the rape one is hard to take seriously, by the way. So much more happens behind the scenes.

I'm in the USA.

Personally, I wouldn't support coed floors, simply because it would (in my opinion) cause too much temptation to have premarital sex (sorry, but it's not something I support.)

HU- I'd never heard about the lack of dorms. That's an interesting situation.

That's the problem with the question Psycik. 'Co-ed' is not 'premarital sex', its irresponsible co-edding.
Question though HU. How is it they can rent whole buildings of students, yet will be monitored against guys in a girl's room or vice versa?

It isn't monitored Mac. They only monitor girl in boy rooms and vice versa when we are on trips/excursions and need to fit into a hotel/youth hostel.

Well, we call them 'student homes', and the bedroom/living room, and all other rooms apart from the kitchen and bathroom are changed into small apartments. This allows students to rent, reasonably cheaply a room.

Also, the government funds a lot, and students have a lot of jobs here.

Basically, there is no real monitoring Mac. Students are expected to be mature enough at 17/18/19 and above.

I, however, still live with my parents and use the train to get to my school, while others have chosen to rent an apartment in the city where my school is. All 'bout priorities...

Mr U

Ah I see...thanks. This clears up a lot, and yeah my teach's the kind who knows stuff like the Matrix, though I don't think he'd like surfing a forum. This stuff should help make that impact.

I'm at a small private college (1,000 matriculated students) in New York, which until about 20 years ago was an all girls school. Currently, we have co-ed buildings, but not floors. One dorm has 3 floors, 1 and 3 are guys, 2 is girls. We have one building that is all girls and none that is all guys. I, like Mr. U, still live with my parents. I drive my car to and from campus.

I think co-ed floors would work, as the sexes are still segregated for sleeping (hopefully ;) ). I definitely think that co-ed rooms would lead to an increased number of rapes and pre-marital sex. I'm not for or against the latter. I think that dry campuses (those banning the use of alcohol by all students whehter 21 or not) would have better luck trying co-ed rooms. I have heard that NYU allows co-ed rooms in some of its housing. But I think that mainly pertains to married or engaged individuals. Have to check that one out. I think a case could be made for discrimination here, as there is no law (stated or otherwise) that bans homosexuals from rooming together. So the case for pre-marital sex is bogus in that case. Not sure where I'm going with this...I don't have anything against homosexuals (just thought to point that out lest anyone get offended or confused).

Mr. U, curious situation in the Netherlands. There are some universities and colleges in the States that operate like that, but only in major metropolitan areas. Interesting...so are all colleges/universities like that there? In Europe as a whole? I'm a very curious person.

I am uncertain about Europe, but I'm pretty confident that most (National) universities function like that.

There has been an opening of an 'international' university in 'zeeland' (a province) where, I believe, there is an actual campus.

Also, the government is modyfying a cruise-ship to make affordable rooms avaible to students. I'm unsure where the money will go to, though, but I doubt it will go to the university, lol.

Mr U