Roommate Conflicts
By: Drew Satter, Housing and Residence Life
When roommates get along well, there are so many benefits to a living situation. There should be open communication, friendliness, and a place that feels like home. Roommates don’t need to be best friends, but there should be, minimally, a good vibe in the room or apartment.
So, what should a student do if their roommate situation is not going well? There are a few things that should be quite helpful. First, it’s important to be able to express what is going on. A roommate can’t change an annoying behavior if they don’t know it’s annoying you. So, if your roommate turns on the light and is too loud when they come home while you’re sleeping, talk to them about it! Most of the time that conversation fixes the problem because people are typically reasonable.
Second, roommates should be filling out their roommate agreements. There is a lot of good information in the roommate agreements that roommates may not think to talk about. It’s best to talk something out before it becomes an issue. If roommates are not sure where to find a roommate agreement, talk to your RA!
Third, if a roommate is still not listening even though they’ve been directly talked to (it’s important to be clear and direct! Don’t be passive-aggressive or subtle.), consult with an RA. They have been trained on quite a bit and can very helpful in these situations. RAs can even help mediate a conversation about a roommate conflict if a roommate is particularly challenging. Just be sure that both sides are listening and willing to come to a compromise because both parties are typically doing something that the other would like to have changed. It’s important to have that frame of mind!
At Gonzaga, the residential learning experience is something we value. We want to make sure that students have a place that is safe and educational, as well as a fun place to live, learn, socialize, and sleep. We are committed to helping the residents achieve that goal and have an amazing time at this wonderful university. I hope that these suggestions help and if there are any questions, that is why each hall has live-in staff available to each of the students in the form of Resident Assistants, Community Advocates, and Resident Directors.