From sex before marriage to women in the work place, our generation has been changing the way the world works. With more freedom, higher technological advances and money to spend, nothing seems beyond the limits of our fingers. Now it seems we will eventually be crossing another line; the co-ed dorm room.

Many factors come into play in the concept of the co-ed dorm room. We have the sex factor, safety and maturity.

In many articles discussing this new occurrence, writers focus on what they like to call sexual tension. Some may believe that the joining of genders in a dorm room could cause strong sexual tension between the two participants. This brings in the maturity of the roommates. Would the University of Tennessee ever be mature enough to allow co-ed dorm rooms?

While our generation is one with more freedom as we seem to maturing faster than we have in the past, it comes down to whether or not we are able to cross this last line without any problems.

At least two dozen colleges around the nation have already taken that step. Universities such as Brown, Stanford, Clark and the University of Pennsylvania have already integrated co-ed dorm rooms into their housing programs. Pennsylvania, who has offered this option since 2005, has about 120 students out of their 10,400 residents participating in co-ed dorms. It's what "The Pennsylvanian" calls the gender-neutral policy.

Now, while sharing a small cramped dorm with a member of the opposite sex does not appeal to me at the moment, I do see the opportunity this provides. Some of the major reasons why students participate in this is because their closest friends are members of the opposite sex and they are highly compatible. Some students have even taken the chance to test the waters of a relationship, and though it may be frowned upon, it is not discouraged. It is what most universities call roomcest.

Given the chance, our generation can show our maturity and proceede in further closing the gap between genders. And though UT may not be ready quite yet for co-ed dorm rooms, it could be in our near future.