The policy would ban sex in school dormitories. The college or university has a role that places it in loco parentis, meaning that the school stands in for the parents. Banning sex in the dormitories serves a parental function. It is not simply that the college is telling these budding adults what they can and cannot do themselves, but the college has a responsibility to all the other students in the dormitory who do not want this activity taking place and who want the college to maintain a strong academic environment at all times so they can study and learn as they have come to college to do.
A problem facing colleges today is so-called date rape, or unwanted sexual activity and harassment. Acquaintance rape is the most common form of sexual assault in America, accounting for four out of five rapes. Date rape, when the attacker and victim have agreed to spend time together, is when nearly half of all rapes take place. Only within the last decade has date rape been widely recognized. Many experts have resisted recognizing date rape as the same as other types of rape, but this ignores the reality (Pooley, 1992, 114). Allowing sexual activity in the dormitories only makes such unwanted activity more likely. The college would seem to be giving its acquiescence in sex in the dormitories, which would encourage those who would take advantage of the situation. When students apply for and accept the privilege of living in a college dormitory, they also accept certain rules and so cede certain choices. This is one of them.
The policy of banning sex in school dormitories is misdirected. A straightforward banning does nothing to control for the real problems faced by students, such as date rape. Instead, such a policy treats young people who are adults in most states, and of whom many are over 21 years of age, as if they are still children, and this is not a good message to send to a student body expected to take responsibil...