The Facts: Tufts University made a stipulation in its campus housing regulations to prohibit students from engaging in sexual activity while their roommate is present. The change also prohibits asking a roommate to leave to engage in “sex acts.”
Our Opinion: University Housing’s system of conflict diffusion has worked well and properly addresses the same issues Tufts is trying to remedy.
The Tufts Daily, the independent newspaper of Tufts University, revealed last month that Tufts University had changed its policy on sexual activity. After a string of complaints to Tufts’ Office of Residential Life and Learning concerning disruptive sexual behavior, the university added a stipulation to its guest policy that prohibits “any sex act” in a dorm room with a roommate present. The policy also bans “sexiling” or the act of asking a roommate to leave so the other roommate can engage in sexual activity.
In several different forums and commentary sites, many students and alumni have indicated they feel the policy is ludicrous. One respondent on The Tufts Daily Web site said, “young adults need to learn themselves how to deal with uncomfortable situations. How to negotiate privacy with your roommate, how to deal with a bully, how to make your roommate respect your ‘space’ and how to be assertive, how to articulate your concerns and if nothing works to change the situation … Deal with it!”
The reader makes an astute point, Tufts has dramatically overstepped its bounds by meddling in students’ personal lives. A university should facilitate compromise by promoting self-resolution; N.C. State’s University Housing has done this with its roommate agreement forms and dispute resolution through resident advisors.
Part of the college experience is learning to discuss issues with peers. A university is a cohesive place of erudition and thought where young adults can come together to learn — it should not serve as a parent. At times, independent arbitrators should assist dispute resolution; NCSU supplies this role through RAs and potentially resident directors.
But for most situations, part of the educational experience is to learn how to resolve issues with other people. In a university’s housing places these disputes sometimes occur over issues of sexual activity.
Kathleen Ruppe, associate director for University Housing on Central Campus, said while not common, Housing does occasionally receive complaints about disruptive sexual activity. Roommates are first encouraged to discuss it amongst themselves and may turn to their RA if they fail to compromise.
This is an appropriate and sensible system and seems to work well. Tufts’ solution is heavy-handed and treats students like children. University Housing should consider adding a section on the roommate agreement to discuss sex issues to force residents to be proactive and avoid sex-related problems.
