Co-ed roommates can live in harmony

When I lived alone in my two-bedroom apartment at Seminole Grand, I wascomfortable with rolling out of bed without worrying about putting on pantsand a shirt before opening my bedroom door and grabbing a big bowl of Cookie Crisp cereal.Now, I have a female roommate, so walking into the kitchen in boxers may be inconsiderate. I hope she feels the same way.My roommate and I have been sharing our apartment for eight months.The beginning was rocky, no thanks to our significant others, but now,all is well.We have held conversations and had a few laughs all while sharing our bizarre lovefor Nickelodeon’s iCarly.But many college students may not share our comfort level for coed living. Latoya Jefferson said females should be careful when being placed with a random male roommate.“You don’t know what kind of boy you’re being put in a room with. He could have too many friends to come over and they might try to rape you,” said Jefferson, 19, a fi rst-year elementary education student from Jacksonville.That’s a worst- case scenario.Unfortunately, some females and their parents consider Jefferson’s commentrealistic.“Unless he was gay, my parents probably wouldn’t go for it,” saidSarah Thornton, 19, a first-year elementary education student from West Palm Beach, Fla.A few male students said they would not mind having a female roommate because well-they are female.“She’s a female. That’s a positive right there,” chuckled 18 year-old Channin Stuart.Attraction could pose a problem for co-ed roommates especially if both are already involved in a relationship.“If you weren’t in a relationship, there wouldn’t be any problems,” said Stuart, afirst-year biology student from West Palm Beach, Fla. “If the dude has a girlfriendor if she has a boyfriend and they’re roommates, they may have to watch what they do and what they wear.”What not to wear while having a roommate of the opposite sex is also something some students considered.“It’s all about respecting each other’s space. I don’t want you walking around in your boxers and you don’t want me walking around in my underwear and bra,” Thornton said.With all the negatives that might come with having an opposite sex roommate,student housing facilities have come up with plans for students to avoid that predicament.Of course, those plans could notbe foolproof as I am an example of being placed with a female without my consent.An employee at The Commons, a student housing facility, said that they do offer co-ed rooming, but only from requests.Residents also fi ll out a preference card for housing to help select the right roommate.The employee also said that there have been some instances when a girl and a guy would become roommates and after a couple months, they would want to split up.He further explained that the girls usually feel as though guys are too messy, or some may even get into something illegal, such as drugs.Like some students, my parents did not care that I had a female for a roommate. I was shocked. If you knew my parents, you would be too.“My parents wouldn’t really care. I left home and I’m in school. I’m kind ofgrown,” said 18 year-old Stuart.“They would probably tell me to be careful, but other than that, they would be okay,” Stuart said.Living with a female roommate, I at first thought would be awkward.However, that was not the case. I found that living with girls is easier because our personalities connect.