To the Editor:
In the May 3rd issue of the Review, there was a quote from President Dye on the issue of co-ed rooms that, "the College is not in the business of regulating sexuality..." I think that this is a very important aspect of this issue that should be thought about.
It is not very often that one sees an example of discrimination against the majority, but I think that this is one of those rare occasions. Think about it, any gay or lesbian couple that wants to live together can put their names on a group housing form and live together in a dorm room. A heterosexual couple does not have that option. They must try to find off-campus housing, and if they are successful in their search, must then worry about not being on board, and paying bills and a number of other issues. Something about this does not seem quite balanced.
I think that the issue of co-ed rooms is not necessarily as complicated as it is often made out to be. We're not talking about randomly assigning people of the opposite sex to live together. We're talking about placing people who ask to be placed with a member of the opposite sex together in a divided double, which is almost the same as having your own room anyway. There is clearly a great deal of demand for this, and since it would be done on a purely voluntary basis, I think that it should at least be given a trial run.
Copyright © 1996, The Oberlin Review.
Volume 124, Number 24; May 10, 1996
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