How to Deal with Roommate Conflict the Right Way
This article will explain a couple of techniques to combat roommate conflict, and outlines why Roommate Agreements are so important.
Living with a roommate in residence can be an amazing bonding experience, but it can also lead to drama if issues are not resolved. If you find yourself fighting with your roommate, do not despair; this is common, especially for those who have never shared a room before! Learning to live with others, especially strangers, can be a huge challenge and the little issues can often build until they become big problems.
The most important step in avoiding roommate trouble is setting ground rules for the year, usually done within the first week or two of living together. Establishing a roommate agreement is a great first stepping stone to living in residence and is used in order to create a happy and functional room/living area.
By forming a written contract containing rules and habits you wish to abide by, you and your roommate can help to prevent future fights. Establishing a lights-out time, especially for stressful times such as exam periods, creating a guest’s policy, and having a cleaning schedule are all examples of good guidelines for room rules. Your residence Community Advisor is available all year to ensure that the guidelines creating in your roommate agreement are being met.
Despite having a roommate agreement, you may still find yourself in a fight with your roommate. Here are some people you can talk to when things just don’t seem to be working out.
Community Advisors
If you have already tried solving the conflict with your roommate directly, or if this is not a viable option, a great resource for roommate disagreements is your Community Advisor. Often living on your floor nearby, your Community Advisor (CA) is available for you to contact for help in regards to many problems you may have in residence, particularly roommate trouble.
The Community Advisors want to help you get the best experience possible out of living in residence and being there to sort out issues with your roommate is a big part of their job. By getting assistance from your CA, either alone or alongside your roommate, they can provide helpful advice or take the position of mediator so you and your roommate can confront each other about the problems you are facing.
Community Advisors will try their best to help resolve the problems you are having, however, sometimes these problems are beyond their abilities, in which case they may take further action to connect you with somebody else.
Residence Life Area Coordinators
If your CA feels as though they are not able to fully resolve your conflict, and that it will not resolve itself over time, they may ask the Residence Life Area Coordinators for further help. Having a Residence Life Area Coordinator’s perspective can be useful in more serious situations, especially if something illegal is taking place.
Sometimes all it takes to solve seemingly impossible fights between roommates is being the one to step-up and apologize. If you are currently fighting with your roommate, try seeing the situation from their perspective and if all else fails, apologize and suggest grabbing dinner or doing a simple outing together to try to clear the air. Remember that residence and living with a roommate might be tough at times but if you try to keep an open mind, it can be an incredible learning experience that can prepare you for navigating all sorts of relationships in the future.
Current Residents, Roommates