Wildcat columnists sound off on the new Tufts University Residence Life policy, which prohibits any sex act in a dorm room while a roommate is present.
Law could discourage roommates from engaging in rude behavior
In my first year of college, I learned many things: Advil and water are god’s gift to man, never take off your heels when walking home from a party and earplugs are a tactful investment, especially when your roommate has a boyfriend.
Though this rule seems intrusive and difficult to enforce, I can understand where it’s coming from.
I liked my roommate freshman year. I even liked her boyfriend. But I really, really liked being in my room, and apparently they did too.
I am partially at fault; perhaps I spent too much time in my room. When I studied, I was in my room. When I vegged out, I was in my room. And when I slept, one of my favorite pastimes, I was in my room.
Though they should be entitled to some privacy occasionally, they (and all students of similar situations) should keep in mind that a dorm room, especially at Apache-Santa Cruz Residence Hall, is a very, very small space for two people, let alone three.
If you think you’re being inconspicuous, you probably aren’t. If you’re anywhere within sight, even within peripheral view (which pretty much covers every inch of a dorm room), movement is always noticeable — just because we’re deafened by earplugs doesn’t mean we’re blind and naïve.
Of course, when I casually asked the boyfriend whether his roommate was in his room often, assuming that would explain their constant presence, he replied with a simple, nonchalant, “”No.”” FML.
— Rachel Leavitt is a creative writing sophomore. She can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.
What will be next? Roommate threesomes?
The new rule can also be construed to ban sexiling: In other words, you’re not allowed to have sex when your roommate is in the room or out of it. Disciplinary actions were not detailed, but regardless, reporting related offenses would be a circus of shame and obscenity, especially if there’s a sex competition between roommates and someone proves to be a sore loser.
Are the showers off-limits? This rule will surely lead to only one thing: Roommates will have intimate knowledge of each others’ class schedules. Left out of the rule is whether one is allowed to engage in sexual activity in the room if the roommate is invited to participate.
— Daniel Greenberg is a senior majoring in Near Eastern studies. He can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.
New rule the only way to fully prevent the problem
The UA would be wise to implement the new Tufts policy, even though Tufts students have expressed disagreement with it. “”I think that it is such a personal issue that it should be dealt with between roommates,”” Kristin Collins, a sophomore, told the Tufts Daily.
Okay, it’s a taboo subject, but what happens when roommates won’t listen to these concerns?
When I lived at American University one summer, I repeatedly asked my roommate not to have sleepovers with her “”male friend.”” They can do whatever they want together, but it’s unfair to make me listen to it, and it’s also rude to force me to walk on eggshells as I undress in my own room every morning.
Why should I have to suffer because my roommate’s pansy sex partner decides he doesn’t want to bring her back to his room? There’s only so much that a concerned roommate can say about this issue before the other roommate eventually starts having sex while others are in the room again.
Because this is a universal residence life problem, this policy should be enforced everywhere. No student should have to have this uncomfortable confrontation, and by all means, roommates need to learn to be more considerate.
— Laura Donovan is the opinions editor. She can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.
Keep administration out of it
The question of sex etiquette in residence halls is reminiscent of the debacle often faced in hostel dorms, the main difference being that sleeping arrangements in the former are more permanent arrangements and thus one cannot act without regard for those with whom they cohabit. Although the policy at Tufts does have certain benefits in allowing students to avoid awkward conversations, I’m not convinced that it’s the role of the university to implement such a measure. Everyone’s boundaries need to be respected but the roommates involved are the ones that need to negotiate said boundaries between themselves.
I have trouble imagining ways in which this policy will be enforced. Maybe the dorms would be better off supplying residents with earplugs? Even so, there’s no sense depriving those who get a kick out of hearing drunken adolescents try to sound sexy.
— Dunja Nedic is an Australian exchange student. She can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.
