Your School. Your Paper. Since 1936.

The Suffolk Journal

Your School. Your Paper. Since 1936.

The Suffolk Journal

Your School. Your Paper. Since 1936.

The Suffolk Journal

Sex is ‘tuft’ stuff

Article by: Summer Gerry

Kiss
You won't be seeing much of this at Tufts University...

Tufts University has put a ban on sex when roommates are present, but not a complete ban on sex itself. The ban was put in place quickly and with no known consequences of breaking the rule.

After Tufts received a dozen or so complaints over three years, according to the Tufts Daily, the school decided it was time to administer rules restricting sexual activity. These rules include no sex when a roommate is present, and sex cannot affect a roommate’s sleeping or studying habits.

The ban is said to not be about behavior as it is about opening communication between roommates, according to Director of Public Relations at Tufts, Kim Thurler.

As a roommate to two girls, I feel that we already reached a silent agreement on this subject. Basically it is just common courtesy and respect. If you need alone time, simply ask when your roommate will be able to accommodate you. Is it really Tuft’s problem or place to be setting boundaries regarding a situation that can be so easily resolved?

If my roommates and I were hypothetically at Tufts, we would have lucked out because we knew each other rather well before college. If someone at Tufts did not know their roommate at all and was not comfortable bringing up the topic of sex, the rules that the school enforces would then make things a little easier and a bit less awkward.

However, I thought about this same situation from another point of view. Personally, if I ever had a problem with a roommate, I would say something about it. But, actually realizing how awkward this conversation could be between two people that do not know each other leads me to believe that maybe Tufts is on the right track. There is no consequence so that roommates can work out a social contract between one another and the University will not have to deal with it.

Kim Thurler adds, “[The new policy] is designed to facilitate communication among students and serve as a catalyst to empower roommates to initiate conversation about what may be uncomfortable subjects and discuss them in a more effective manner. Most of our students behave responsibly and we hope that this policy will encourage such behavior.”

Hopefully, this new rule will create good communication that is essential to dormitory life and these rules will push students in a good, ethical direction.

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Sex is ‘tuft’ stuff