Policy

Section 1 of the official 2006 TIP booklet (heading "residential life at Duke TIP", subheading "housing") says:

"Due to limited housing availability on college campuses in the summer, some of our students may have to live on floors in their residence halls with members of the opposite sex; however the students will have adult supervision, will live in same sex residential groups, will use same sex bathroom facilities, and will only be allowed to have same sex visitors in their rooms."

Aftermath

At the beginning of Term I 2006, the visitation policy was modified to prevent the entering of a person's room by a person of the opposite gender.Therefore, people just engage in PDAs out in the hall. Due to this form of rebellion, many RAs are now against this policy. Many TIPsters choose to make out or just hang out in mobs in the hall, especially when one of their friends of the opposite gender has air conditioning. A notable example of this occurred at East Term 2 2006, on the second floor of Giles, in Andrew's hall. Hall sports were subsequently invented, such as Mini Ultimate, Teach Guys How To Kiss/Dance, Steal Mitch's iPod and Laugh, and Candy Wars. And yes, sadly, long live those who ignored it, for persons of the same gender, the Four feet on the floor rule remains in effect. (Actually, as of 2010, no one was enforcing that rule- or even mentioning it- at Duke East.)

Rebellion against this new policy has been present but quiet and in small quantities.

Often at the end of the term, people of the rebellious sort will enter rooms of the opposite gender.

Please note, that at ASU 2008 with the change from Cone to Hoey Hall (with the absence of common rooms) there were strictly girls or boys halls, with no member of the opposite sex allowed on that hall whatsoever.

In addition, with the first term at UGA 2009, in the ancient Rutherford hall, there were three floors (one being the basement). On each floor there were two girls and two guys RC groups, and after on-hall time, the ever-powerful duct tape was placed on the floor to prevent "the mixing of blue and pink". A mysterious force (A.K.A. Dillon and Rosi...) colored it rainbow. :)

At Duke East, this policy is now (as of 2012) referred to as the "threshold rule", meaning that you cannot cross the threshold of the door to someone's room of the opposite sex.

In 2015, the rule was changed to include all genders. The only people allowed in a room are the people who live in it.

Terricia: Hi Sam. Sam: Oh hi. You should come in! Terricia: No, I can’t! Sam: Come on! There’s this… sunset you have to see! Super RC: Aha! Yes, boys, do not ever enter a girl’s threshold. By threshold, I mean room. Girls, do not ever enter a boy’s threshold. By threshold, I mean room. Even if they ask nicely. Or if there’s a sunset.

—Orientation on the first day of East term II 2012

Related Joke

Girl: I can't come in. I can't cross the threshold.

Boy: You can cross my threshold any day.

~ Unknown Author, pretty sure it was someone at East II 2012