This year, Tufts University decided to get involved in the sex lives of its students. The school implemented a policy prohibiting students from engaging in sexual activity in their residence halls while a roommate is present. If a student seeking to have sex asks his or her roommate to leave the room and the roommate refuses, the student must find another place for sex. Anyone who breaks this rule may lose the privilege to bring guests back to his or her room. The policy is designed to protect shy students who are inconvenienced by their roommate’s sex lives. The idea is that these students shouldn’t under any circumstance feel they have to leave their rooms to accommodate their roommates.
AU’s Residence Life director, Rick Treter, doesn’t think our campus needs a policy like this. “It is not customary that we move into the realm of an individual’s personal choices ... in regards their sexuality or their sexual behavior,” he told the Eagle.
This makes sense. Tufts’ policy seems intrusive and unnecessary. We’ve all heard of a nanny states. This policy makes Tufts look like a nanny campus. It means well, but it may actually end up having many negative consequences.
One problem with the policy is that it discourages students from developing interpersonal skills that would make dealing with a difficult roommate easier. By not having a policy like this, AU encourages its students to fill out roommate agreements or simply talk to their roommates about these issues. Most people are reasonable. Most people are willing to work things out. And for those extreme circumstances where talking doesn’t cut it, AU does have mediators that can step in and help. This should be perfectly sufficient for everyone.
College is about getting an education, but it’s also about learning to live more independently. Living more independently means taking personal responsibility in social matters. This is a life skill. Thankfully, AU is confident that its students can learn it on their own. Our school stays out of our sex lives and lets us take responsibility for our own personal relationships. We should be grateful that we go to a university that treats us as adults.
