PAGE 6 — THE DECREE — MARCH 26,1993
How to handle ‘Roommate from Hell’
By KAREN NEUSTADT
(CPS) — Meet the Roommate
from Hell.
She borrows your white
sweater, then slips it carefully
back in your closet—with a new
tea stain. He comes in drunk. She
flicks on the overhead light as
you are drifting off to sleep. He
plays music of questionable taste
at top decibels. She smokes; you
don’t. Your lunch money van
ishes.
There is no more bitter rite of
passage than sharing space with
a disastrous roommate. Many col
lege students have never bunked
with a brother or sister, much less
experienced being trapped with a
stranger who does things they
don’t understand.
Some first-year students are so
distraught over a Roommate from
Hell that they pack their bags and
call it quits. “Come get me, ” they
tell bewildered parents.
Everyone has a horror story.
Leanne Call, a reporter for the
Western Star, the newsp^r for
Western Oregon State College in
Monmouth, interviewed dozens
of students about their experi
ences for a recent story about liv
ing situations that are less than
perfect.
One student said he found a
roommate rummaging through his
drawers. “I’m just looking for
drugs,” she announced. Another
student came home to find his
roommate having sex with some
one — on his bed, no less.
One unfortunate student re
ported that his roommate did his
laundry only once the entire se
mester, and an ever-growing
mountain of dirty clothes threat
ened to take over the small room.
Another student said a former
roommate hosted a four-day orgy
in the middle of finals, made
drunken phone calls to 911, and
put a vodka bottle fuU of dimes
in the microwave oven.
One former college student re
called an unexpected guest for
two weeks — her roommate’s
boyfriend, who camped out on
the floor. Then there was the Irish
Setter and his owner, cleverly hid
den from the resident advisors,
who took up residence in the suite
next door.
StiU another nightmare roomie
had a penchant for making ha
rassing calls to the girlfriend of a
policeman for whom she had de
veloped a “Fatal Attraction” ob
session.
What’s a student to do?
“Learning to live with room
mates, to share, is part of the col
lege experience,” said Adrian
Schiess, director of freshman pro
grams at Xavier University in
Cincinnati.
Until the 1970’s, say officials,
the housing staff would throw stu
dents together randomly, even al
phabetically, in dorm rooms. The
past decade, however, has seen a
shift to a consumer consciousness
aimed at keeping students satis
fied.
“We know that how happy and
satisfied a student is with his room
and roommate has a lot to do with
how h£^py and satisfied they are
with their whole college experi
ence,” said Peter Armstrong, di
rector of residential life at
Wartburg College in Waverly,
Iowa
In spite of sophisticated meth
ods of roommate selection, such
as computerized matching, room
mate nightmares are so prevalent
that colleges now offer conflict
resolution procedures and special
training for resident assistants to
help bring peace to the dorms of
the 1990’s.
“When I was in school in the
‘60s, we thought of it as an intel
lectual boot camp... a place where
you had a dry roof and three
squares a day. If you were from
the South, you’d be thrown in
with someone from Brooklyn,”
said Mac Johnson, vice president
for student affairs at Roanoke
College in Salem, Va.
In the 1990’s, however, there
are sufficient challenges on cam
pus without being stressed by an
incompatible roommate.
Johnson’s staff has offered the
Myers-Briggs personality test to
incoming students for six years,
dividing the class into general
“types” and matching up room
mates accordingly.
“In the past six years, since
giving the Myers-Briggs, the
number of roommate change re
quests have dropped. Most people
are satisfied with our choices,”
Johnson said.
The roommate problem is
taken so seriously at Hood Col
lege in Frederick, Md., that Bar
bara Engram, director of coun
seling, wrote the Roommate Ne
gotiation Workbook.
“It is only necessary (for
roommates) to understand each
other and respect each others’
rights. It is not necessary that you
have the same feeUngs, prefer
ences, and opinions,” the book
says.
At Wartburg College,
Armstrong said “negotiation kits”
are distributed to new roommates.
They contain step-by-step guides
to all the common problems that
can occur in a residence hall
room.
Students are told to fill out in-
depth questionnaires about them
selves, read them to their room
mates, and discuss any differ
ences.
“We even teach students to ar
ticulate assertively on things like
TV watching, noise, whether you
keep the room neat or in a more
casual way,” Armstrong said.
Roommate contracts help
smooth out problems at Wilson
College in Chambersburg, Pa.
CAB CORNER
Spring Fling Update
•••
It's here! What’s we’ve all been wait
ing for! Spring Fling ‘93 has fun for
all! Review the schedule below so
you won’t miss out:
Sunday, March 28: Talent Show
sponsored by Sigma Phi Delta. Join us in the SAC at 9 p.m. to see
just want kind of talent NCWC has. If you would like to participate,
see a sister of Sigma Phi Delta.
Monday, March 29 Tye Dyeing sponsored by Pi Epsilon. Join us on
the Edge lawn at 4 p.m. You will need to bring a white article of
clothing for best results. If you have nothing white, they will probably
be selling some white T-shirts. Supply will be limited!
Tuesday, March 30: Acapello group and humorists, “The Blenders,"
will be performing in SAC at 9:30 p.m. Psychology Club will be
serving mocktails, so get here early to grab a great seat and to get a
refreshing drink!
Wednesday, March 31: Pie Throwing vj\\\ take place at 3:30 p.m. on
the patio outside of the Union. Make plans now to be at this event.
Sponsored by SNCAE, they will be auctioning off your favorite faculty
and staff members, and even some high profile students. Watch for
details, and start saving your pennies!
Thursday, April 1: Goofy Olympics! Sponsored by Delta Sigma Ph^
events may include “Izzy Dizzy,” “Egg-in-Spoon race,” and more. Be
sure you show up for this fun! Watch for posters on where and what
time this event will take place.
Friday, April 2: Spring Fling finale, and Soc Hop sponsored by
Sigma Phi Delta. It will be in the SAC and it will start at 9 p.m. The
50’s is the theme, but come as you would like. It will be fun for all!
Watch for signs and posters giving more information!
COMING ATTRACTION —April 22: Guitarist and singer, Daryl
Rice. Come listen as the blues resonate throughout Doc’s. Showtime
is 9 p.m. See you there!
Give Us Your Opinion!
Campus Activities Board (CAB) is trying to plan a
trip to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Va., and we’d
like to know if you’re interested in going with us.
Please review the info below, then give us a call at
5227 to let us know if this trip is something you’d be
interested in!
Date: Saturday, April 24
Approximate Depature Time From NCWC: 7 a.m.
Approximate Return to NCWC: 9 p.m.
Group Ticket Price: $21
Extra money may be needed for food, games,
; souvenirs, etc. ■ ■ ■'