AS YOU enjoy your final summer before embarking on the incredible journey that is the University, you are deluged with mailings from the school, but only care about that one envelope ... your roommate assignment. The most palatial and sought-after room on Grounds can be meaningless if you and your roommate don't get along. My first-year roommate experience was actually at Carnegie Mellon University, a heinous place located approximately 40 miles west of the eighth circle of hell, so my experience is unique. But I do know how to deal with roommates that you don't want to live with, or eat with, or hang with, or see ... ever.
My first roommate was a nice guy, except he never left the room and there was a funky smell in the room that was clearly the smallest double in the building. He would begin his days by waking at 4 p.m., lounging around for a while, catching some food around 8 p.m., and then catching a nap before playing a rousing game of Quake from 2 a.m. to 5 a.m. In the two months I lived with him, I can't remember seeing him reading a book, doing homework or going to many classes. Oh, and he only owned one CD, that Third Eye Blind album which was big five years ago. As soon as it was over, he would play it again, and again and again. I enjoy the lazy life as much as the next guy, but studying and writing papers was problematic when my roommate was sleeping during the day and swearing like a sailor at his Quake buddies.
Disregarding the urge to rip the CD from his computer, break it in half, and cut him with it, I asked for minor concessions such as turning down the music and watching the loud swearing early in the morning. Nobody wants to say anything for fear of enraging their roommate, but the simple truth is that the "offensive" person is just as scared of confrontation. In my case and others, simply talking for five minutes and setting guidelines made all the difference in the world. Though we were on good terms, the fact remained that his schedule and disregard for school, hygiene, musical taste and work were detrimental to my studies, my private space and my sanity. Luckily, I knew another freshman on the floor who was awaiting a roommate assignment for his room, so I jumped on it.
Unfortunately, my experience with my second roommate was equally bizarre. The new guy, who nicknamed himself Kiwi, was an art student who enjoyed opening the window and yelling obscenities and racial slurs. I can't even repeat most of what he had to say, but at least he hated every religious and racial group other than his own with equal consideration. However, there was a 48-hour period in December of 2000 which truly made me reconsider my choice of roommates. In that period, he managed to flood our bathroom by clogging the toilet and repeatedly using and flushing it, he held a birthday party for himself in which his friends smoked marijuana on my bed sheets (my desk and papers on it were used to prepare the delicacy), and to top it all off, he reported to Student Services that I was dead in the room. Of course, nobody came to check out my dead and rotting body for 10 hours. Though he clearly had the intellect of a chimp, living together was not impossible because I told him how I felt and he felt worse than I did - maybe not, but close.
I could go on with more stories to show why I am glad to have my own place now, but any roommate experience can be made bearable. The truth is that most students are equally afraid of angering roommates and a simple talk about guidelines will do. I disliked my two roommates, but they were not bad guys and were willing to yield to common sense talk. Everybody has stories of how they had to evacuate their room one night because of something their roommate was doing, but that's a natural part of living with someone. No situation is ideal and even if you hate your roommate and would never hang out with him, do the unthinkable: Talk with him about it.
There's little argument that the idea of throwing two complete strangers into a room for nine months is a barbaric ritual, but it's not the end of the world. Everybody that has some problem with their roommate wants to call Housing Services and switch rooms immediately in September, but a little bit of patience and five minutes of talk is all you need.
(Brad Cohen is a Cavalier Daily columnist. He can be reached at bcohen@cavalierdaily.com)
Read More
PARTING SHOT: No man is an island
By Ava MacBlane | YesterdayRetirement, as you can tell, has been treating me well. When people ask me now if I miss it, I laugh and tell them some things I definitely don't miss. But I don't always get to tell them about the things I really do miss.
PARTING SHOT: You never know unless you try
By Lexi Baker | 2 days agoMy time at the University was shaped by the people who showed me grace and kindness and by those who had confidence in me, even when I struggled to have it in myself.
PARTING SHOT: A love letter to Cav Daily and Connection
By Ava Proehl | 2 days agoMy time here taught me to look for the genuine, human connection in every moment.
