The Behrend beacon. (Erie, Pa.) 1998-current, October 03, 2003, Image 12

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    Page 12
The Behrend Beacon
To cuddle or
not to cuddle
'lf you don't live in one of the traditional
halls then you might not notice the slight
change in relationship roles among the
sexes. When I lived in Lawrence hall last
year I had a lot of male friends in my
building. Now, living in Niagara as an
RA, I find myself befriending the new
crop of freshmen.
There is one huge difference between
the new freshmen boys and the
upperclassmen boys are their attitude
toward girls. Never in my life have I met
so many boys who all-around enjoy
cuddling.
Yes, you heard me right, cuddling.
I am a fan of cuddling, I just haven't
seen so many guys into it! My girl friends
and I in high school couldn't get our guy
friends or even boyfriends to cuddle with
us no matter bow hard we tried.
As an RA, I often overhear residents
talking about their plans for the day, night
and weekend. Somehow, all
conversations end up back to cuddling.
What is cuddling you might ask?
Cuddling is the simple act of two people
falling asleep together, may it be two
people entwined or just next to one
another. Cuddling has gone by other
names such as snuggling or its latest
name, and my favorite, spooning.
"There's just so much to say about
spooning! It's a good pasttime whether
with a friend or a loved one. Even my
girl friends and I cuddle," said Alex Raab,
a third semester DUS student.
Lately, I have also seen cuddling
happen throughout the daytime. It's not
just a late-night activity anymore. Often
girls and guys can be found around the
"I think that what people do in their spare time is their
business."-Annie
"If you're getting laid, you're getting laid." -Ryan
"I've had them, but I don't recommend them." -Amy
"As long as you don't get any STDs its all good." -John
"I like them but for some people that's all they need. Others,
like me, prefer the long-term relationships." -Ryan
"You have to be careful now a days with all the diseases that
you can catch!"- Rachel
"As long as they're good and fun."- Jeff
"I'm a definite fan of one-night stands." -Laura
**Last names have been taken out because, hey, these are
personal questions! **
by Erika Jarvis
features editor
dorms laying together just watching
television or even a movie.
"It's purely a platonic thing I just like
being close to a girl," freshman Jason
Miller said.
If there's nothing sexual behind the act
of cuddling then why are so many people
talking about it? Well, it seems as if the
weather at Behrend is getting cold pretty
quickly and we all know that there's
nothing like a little body heat to keep
you warm at night.
"I like to sleep with a girl at night. It's
comfortable, relaxing and warm," said
Dan Frankel, a first semester Education
major.
The talk around the porches at night
no longer revolves around the night's
activities but where everyone is sleeping
for the night. Beds in the resident halls
are either empty or crammed with two
people sleeping. More and more friends
are bunking up for the night and a
"cuddle buddy" isn't rare to have.
"Living in Niagara is great! I love how
the freshmen boys are all about cuddling,
I don't know a girl who wouldn't want
to spoon with a cute boy," said Jenny
Walsh, third semester biology major.
So the norm now is to have a good
friend of the opposite sex who you know
you can sleep with. The benefits of this
are bypassing that awkward "what did
we just do" question in the morning.
Comfort is what it's all about when
sleeping in the uncomfortable and often
cold resident hall beds.
As freshman Andy Mook said, "At the
end of the night, there's nothing more I
want than a good cuddle buddy."
Sex Q&A:
How do you feel about
one-night stands?
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ober 3, 2003
Friday Oc
.■ I ■ ■ ■ ■ I ■ ■ ■ ■ I ■ I ■ ■ ■ ■ I I ■ ■ I I ■ ■ I. I I__L I_.l. 11
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Sex and the dorms
For many students, living with a
roommate is an experience never to be
forgotten. Some roommates are very
shy and reserved while others enjoy the
party scene. Naturally, many roommate
conflicts arise throughout the year. No
conflict is more embarrassing than
when one roommate sexiles the other.
What is sexiling? Sexiling is when
one roommate uses the room for his/her
own sexual purposes. Whether the
roommate is alone or with a partner, the
other roommate is forced to locate
elsewhere.
Sexiling mainly takes place when
there is a lack of communication
between roommates. During the first
few weeks of living together,
roommates should try to get to know
each other. If they did this, they would
know each other's schedules and could
use the room while the other was at
class.
Some roommates do not feel the need
to get to know one another. This creates
a problem. Imagine coming back from
class only to hear loud, moaning noises
coming from your room. Would you
want to enter?
While it would be funny to interrupt,
most would opt to go somewhere else.
But what if you really need to get in the
room? Then what happens? The
awkwardness, the knocking on the door
to your own room. When your
roommate answers, what do you say?
Should you ask them to quit what they
are doing or do you just run in the room,
grab your stuff and tell them to enjoy?
Not Just For Women
Free
Confidential
1-877-874-3500
..IN•••••II I I I I I I I I .4
Courtney Straub, News Editor
Erika Jarvis, Features Editor
by Courtney Straub
news editor
If the situation only happens once
in awhile, then it is not really a big
deal. However, some
roommates encounter this situation
quite often.
Where does one begin when telling
their roommate that they feel sexiled?
Even though it can be an embarrassing
issue, it may need to be discussed. Sit
down with your roommate and figure
out where the problem lies.
Is your roommate addicted to sex
and you can never feel comfortable in
your own room? Or is it just on the
weekends when the out-of-town
boyfriend/girlfriend visits? Odds are
your roommate does not even realize
that they are sexiling you.
Start by working out a time
schedule. There are probably certain
times during the day that you are not
even near your room. This is the
perfect opportunity for your roommate
to have the room alone.
Even if a time schedule is worked
out, there may still be times that in the
heat of the moment, your roommate
forgets that you will be returning.
Work out a "sign" that shows your
room is being used. You could draw
a stop light on your wipe board with
the red light colored in or hang a
scrunchi on the door handle. Either
way you will know not to enter.
So if you are feeling sexiled, do not
be afraid to talk to your roommate
about it. By putting the topic out in
the open, hopefully you and roommate
will be able to work out a schedule so
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