Co-Educational Dorms
Dublin Core
Title
Co-Educational Dorms
Subject
West Chester University Quad Angles
Description
An article in WCU's student newspaper, Quad Angles, describing an instance of dormitories becoming co-educational on campus.
Creator
Quad Angles
Source
Quad Angles, WCU Special Collections Library
Publisher
WCU, Vietnam Digital Oral Histories, Spring and Fall 2022
Date
March 7, 1972
Contributor
Brenna McGowan
Rights
Used with permission of WCU Special Collections
Format
JPG
Type
Text
Text Item Type Metadata
Text
Coed living
Last week President Paul W. Rossey indicated his approval for plans to establish two coeducational dormitories on campus next fall. We are happy to see the administration's positive steps in this progressive direction. The concept of coed housing has been implemented at many other institutions and finally will be tried at West Chester State. Coed living can offer students a responsible, healthy, inter-relating living situation. The integration of living quarters will hopefully diminish some of the present self-established barriers between the sexes. Students will now, we hope, rid themselves of many hang-ups which have prevented them from establishing unity between the men and women at West Chester State. Coed housing alone, however, will not restore any great amount of unity. Concomitant with this physical intermixing must come governmental merging and social integration. The separation of men's and women's resident governments has, in the past, only served to widen the gap between the two sexes. While a merger into one residence government would necessitate a compromise of immediate objectives, the long-range benefit would be an improved male-female correlation. The integration of the governing bodies would seem to be naturally followed by equalization of the regulations for men and women. This it would seem, would also alleviate some of the unnatural tension between the sexes. Why, for example, should female students be forced to sign in and out of the dormitories when male students do not? The present regulation to this effect is flagrantly abused, and only serves to label the women student as inferior, when in reality she is not. The administrative excuse of the sign in/out procedure providing "protection" for the girls seems invalid when it is so readily ignored or abused. Wouldn't a voluntary sign in/out procedure provide any sense of security, where desired, without forcing an incumberence upon those who neither want or need it? Nevertheless, the present planning of coed dorms is a start towards reducing the barriers between the sexes. We only hope the administration will realize that its role of in loco parentis should be placed in the past, for this dominating role is only one other factor which stagnates the total college living environment. If college life is truly to mature the students, they must be permitted there own self determination of living regulations.
Last week President Paul W. Rossey indicated his approval for plans to establish two coeducational dormitories on campus next fall. We are happy to see the administration's positive steps in this progressive direction. The concept of coed housing has been implemented at many other institutions and finally will be tried at West Chester State. Coed living can offer students a responsible, healthy, inter-relating living situation. The integration of living quarters will hopefully diminish some of the present self-established barriers between the sexes. Students will now, we hope, rid themselves of many hang-ups which have prevented them from establishing unity between the men and women at West Chester State. Coed housing alone, however, will not restore any great amount of unity. Concomitant with this physical intermixing must come governmental merging and social integration. The separation of men's and women's resident governments has, in the past, only served to widen the gap between the two sexes. While a merger into one residence government would necessitate a compromise of immediate objectives, the long-range benefit would be an improved male-female correlation. The integration of the governing bodies would seem to be naturally followed by equalization of the regulations for men and women. This it would seem, would also alleviate some of the unnatural tension between the sexes. Why, for example, should female students be forced to sign in and out of the dormitories when male students do not? The present regulation to this effect is flagrantly abused, and only serves to label the women student as inferior, when in reality she is not. The administrative excuse of the sign in/out procedure providing "protection" for the girls seems invalid when it is so readily ignored or abused. Wouldn't a voluntary sign in/out procedure provide any sense of security, where desired, without forcing an incumberence upon those who neither want or need it? Nevertheless, the present planning of coed dorms is a start towards reducing the barriers between the sexes. We only hope the administration will realize that its role of in loco parentis should be placed in the past, for this dominating role is only one other factor which stagnates the total college living environment. If college life is truly to mature the students, they must be permitted there own self determination of living regulations.
Original Format
Paper
Files
Citation
Quad Angles, “Co-Educational Dorms,” WCU Vietnam War Oral History Project, accessed November 18, 2024, https://nunncenter.net/wcu-vietnam-war/items/show/54.