What happens if the best friend forever/dream roommate you imagined actually turns out to be your worst enemy? What happens when you can't stand the sight of her new boyfriend who's over e.v.e.r.y.d.a.y.? Struggling with a roommate situation can be stressful, to say the least. Your first instinct may be to get out of that room, as quickly as possible. But, before you start building a tent in your building's living room, ask yourself some questions.
First, did you talk to your roommate about whatever issues you may have? Sometimes, it's as easy as asking someone to please stop. In other instances, though, having an intensely personal conversation with someone can be really difficult. The student members of the Residential Life staff have been trained to serve as a peer resources to you in these situations.Go to your RA (Resident Assistant) on your floor, or on another floor, if you're more comfortable with that person. She may be able to coach you through a conversation, or even to facilitate one. If you feel that the situation is too much even for an RA to handle, seek out your RD (Resident Director). Both the RAs and RDs are available to listen to your concerns and to help you work through the issues you may be having.
Some roommate problems can be avoided, however. Every first-year room is asked to go through the Roommate Starter Kit at the beginning of First-Year Orientation. In it, you'll find open-ended statements such as • I usually need ___ hours of sleep in order to function.• This and the other statements in the kit are crucial facts about yourself that you should share with your roommate(s). Without sharing this information, two roommates might find themselves constantly waking each other up at the wrong times.
This is why the Roommate Starter Kit is so important!
Okay, but let's say that the Roommate Starter Kit was no good, and the Res Life staff couldn't help you and your roommate work it out. What do you do next? Pull out your hair? Not quite. There is an e-mail conference through FirstClass called "Room Swap" that contains posts from students looking for a new room or roommate. You can review this conference to see if anyone seems like a good match for you. Additionally, your RD can inform you of the open spaces on campus. Either way, when you've found a suitable new room, you should fill out the room change form with your RD and submit it to the Housing Office.
