Roommates and room changes
Living on campus will be different from living with your family.
- you may or may not know your roommate very well
- you may come from a different part of the world
- new experiences may initially seem intimidating to you
Remember that living on campus offers you different avenues for personal growth and understanding.
The relationship between you and your roommate is the foundation of the development of the residence community and also a unique opportunity to make a lifelong friend!
You are not expected to be best friends or to share every aspect of university life with your roommate.
Respect each other's rights
Get to know your roommate:
- Where are they from?
- What are their family and friends like?
- What are their hobbies and interests?
- How neat are they?
- What is their sleep schedule?
- How do they act when upset or down?
Get to know their expectations, personal preferences and habits:
- Find out if you can share each other's food, if you will grocery shop together?
- Can you split the fridge in half?
- Can they use your cups, plates and utensils or your hairdryer?
These may seem like silly questions, but almost all roommate issues are caused by little things. Early communication with your roommate avoids creating bigger issues down the road.
If you're not getting along
Disagreements are unavoidable and even the best of friends can disagree. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself in conflict with your roommate, but it doesn’t mean that you can’t or won’t get along.
Approach your roommate if something is bothering you when it first happens. If you cannot come to a solution, contact your RA. They are trained to facilitate and meditate these situations. They can even sit down with both of you or talk to your roommate for you.
Room changes
Room changes are discouraged and are solely at the discretion of the residence life coordinator.
If you are having issues with your roommate and unable to work them out on your own, speak to the residence life coordinator.
