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Co-ed dorms have value

To the editor,

State Rep. Jean McGrath must have her mind in the gutter if she can't imagine any reason beyond sex for the existence of co-ed dormitories. Placing members of both genders in close proximity does have some positive value in today's society.

For instance, it can encourage a truce in the battle of the sexes. Places where women are kept separate from men, such as frat houses and (traditionally) the military, tend to encourage the mystique of seeing women as "the other," different and difficult to fathom. This makes it easier to see women as objects.

By living next door to a woman, on the other hand, a man will more likely see her as a real person, too - someone whose makeup isn't always perfect, someone who gets hurt when a guy dumps her, someone who could be his sister. The reality can erode the sexual stereotype. The same can be said for women living near men. Personally, I grew up with four sisters and no brothers, so it was an education for me to move into a coed dorm as an undergraduate in the 1980s. My male neighbors became my friends and brothers. Like many women, I looked to other regions for romance - I considered my floormates a little too close to home given the fickleness common to that age group.

To claim that it is immoral to live next door to a member of the opposite sex is to represent extremists, as Sheila Bapat observed in her commentary in the Wildcat yesterday.

Jean, I think it would behoove you to remember that times have changed since you were a teenager, probably in the 1950s. This country no longer segregates the sexes, with men in the workforce and women in the home. The young adults of today need to learn how to get along with members of the opposite sex not just so they can choose one to marry. These days, women and men work side by side in kitchens and boardrooms.

The sooner they learn to see the opposite sex as real people, friends and colleagues, the easier their life will be after graduation. I hope this little lesson will help you look at your male acquaintances, neighbors and colleagues in a new light, Rep. McGrath. Most of your constituents would prefer if House members such as yourself would stop dwelling on sex and instead concentrate on the business of running the state.

Melanie Lenart

Renewable Natural Resources graduate student