August 22–28, 2007, Number 457
Residence hall activities help students get to know each other.
Roommates
As a fourth year plus student, I have had my share of roommates. In my first two years in the residence halls, I had four different roommates. No it wasn’t because we were incompatible, one moved due to construction in the dorms and another changed schools. For many students, not just first year students, living with a new person can be a nerve-racking experience. This can be especially true if this is the first time they will have to live in the same room with someone else.
When I started at Michigan Tech, the roommate-matching program was non-existent; fortunately I have gotten along with all of my roommates. The matching program is designed to choose students with many common interests and pair them up. The result is usually two students who get along pretty well and can quickly find some common ground. This is of course, no guarantee that the students will always see eye to eye.
When living with another person, especially in close quarters, some ground rules should be set early on. Both students need to agree with these rules to avoid a lot of conflicts. Some rules I set were:
- When using the microwave or refrigerator, clean up any mess that is made right then.
- Keep the room (floor mostly) clean enough to have the door open so people can visit.
- If I go to bed before my roommate, keep the volume down on the music, television, computer, etc.
As agreeable and alike as two people might be, some conflicts will just happen. My internship this summer in Kansas City resulted in me living with two complete strangers, one from Kansas and another from Texas. Needless to say, we had several small conflicts. The best thing to do is just leave for a while and let everyone cool down to clear their heads. This is the key to getting through conflicts and moving on. Holding grudges or getting revenge is always a bad idea, since it can make small conflicts escalate quickly.
The biggest thing to remember is that friendships don’t usually develop overnight. Remind your students to have some patience with their roommate and try to work through things that may come up. The resident assistant (RA) of each house is also there to help. They are trained to handle problems that may arise between roommates and they can help to settle disputes. The RAs also hold hall socials and activities to help students bond with their roommates and other students in the hall. As a last resort, if the students just cannot live with each other, they can talk to their RA about being reassigned.
If there are ever any concerns or topics that you feel should be addressed, please send me a personal email and I will try my best to include them in my future articles.
Until next week,
- Michigan Technological University
- 1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton, MI 49931-1295
- 906-487-1885