Like many other Penn State students, Kyle Wagner (junior-agriculture business management) and Matthias Hickey (junior-political science) wake up every morning and get ready for the day ahead. They watch some television, eat some breakfast, and when the time comes, they head out the door to go to class. But they do not leave without saying goodbye to Giovanna -- as in Giovanna Mantia (sophomore-Italian), their female roommate.

Kyle, Matthias and Giovanna are just some of the many students who live off campus in a co-ed setting.

"It's been an excellent experience," Kyle said. "Girls are much cleaner than guys in my opinion."

This is only an off-campus situation, though. Of Penn State's 44 dorms, exactly half are co-ed either by section or by floor. But nowhere on campus is there an example of men and women living together in the same room.

Kathy Krinks, assignment office manager, said there used to be fewer dorms that allowed men and women to even live in the same building. More co-ed dorms were added three years ago because of student demand.

"The trend in schools is to go co-ed," she said.

Diane Andrews, senior associate director of Residence Life, said Penn State isn't likely to take the co-ed housing trend further and allow rooms that are not unisex.

"I don't see us heading in that direction. I don't know that we would get a lot of support from parents," she said.

However, some other schools in the state have received parental support and are implementing co-ed rooming.

Swarthmore College and Haverford College have adopted the plan on their campuses. Swarthmore allows co-ed rooming for groups of three to five students, but it will not allow a man and woman to room together alone. The groups are considered a less intimate atmosphere for the prospective roommates.

"I think it's a good program," said Myrt Westphal, director of housing at Swarthmore. "Students wanted us to have more places . . . we took a smaller and slower approach."

One reason Swarthmore put the option into effect was to give a residential alternative to gay students. For some gay students, it was sometimes difficult to find someone of the same sex who would be comfortable living with them.

Although that option does not exist at Penn State, Andrews said gay students -- like all other students -- have the option of living in a single room, space permitting.

However, Sara Ryan, political chair for Allies feels personally that Penn State could address the issue better. She said the university's policy assumes that the entire student body is heterosexual.

"If Penn State was willing to make it (co-ed housing) an option, it would make the LGBTA students feel more comfortable," she said, referring to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their allies.

Another reason some people argue for co-ed rooming is that students want to live with their closest friends, regardless of sex. This is the category that Wagner, Hickey and Mantia fall under. Mantia said it is more convenient living with two guys.

"I don't have to worry about anyone taking a long time in the bathroom," she said.

And if the toilet seat is left up, she said it is never because of her roommates; it's usually because of her boyfriend.