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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 29, 2001)
/ ;• ' j! : . V ; : ,■ ' \ving in the residence halls can he a great learning e as they figure out how to deal with roommate and do By Marianne Hudson THE BATTALION ■gued by aftem: Slate at night, and somewhere, someone is awake wondering, who is this person sleeping e blink bed above me? After hearing the horror eSibout crazy roommates, could this room- Vt' one "i those nutcases? Whether room- Rvere already friends or selected by “pot Biving together in a residence hall is a new hence for both parties. e texperience can be exciting and memorable spo sible actions are taken to ensure content- t for both parties. Well-', a residence hall adviser (RA) and owparketing major, said the first step toward a d relationship is getting to know each ■first, roommates should try To spend >t of time with each other,” Wells said. BAi >r example, try to eat dinner together.” sVells advises roommates- IfT con neighbors is to keep the door open. Although many students are happy with their roommates and on-campus life, troubling situations do arise. Ron Sasse, department of residence life director, said that the housing assignments office is available to residents if problems arise in the dorms. “The Housing Assignments Office, the RA and the hall director are the student’s best resources,” Sasse said. “They will know how to handle a situa tion better than anybody.” Sasse suggests that roommates first try to talk and work out conflicts between themselves. If progress is not made, they should both talk to the RA. Betty Milburn, associate director.Mf Student Counseling Service f^CS), said SCS can offer extra support if the problems persist. “We help students with Adjustments and con flicts. If both parties come inf we counsel them.” Milburn suggests discussing all problems up front. “Don’t let things buildul,” she said. “Rather than blow it off, go to the petfon at the time of the conflict, and let them know boVy they affected you.” SCS teaches students techniques for handling disag ree ments. '"•BT * “We try to handle problems by working lowest level,” Milburn s mm;;te agreements that arslavai in ero thew p/, s ' roomv These agreements are a ipromise between the roommafes to tbllh guidelines, such as study, irs. aid. JaNg future problems, you to expand meet other ‘Fill (Me out right away,' tat waP, if there rhard MortJ r f er back to il -" led onoutstar w f ls encourages roomu eapons chargeP4 b *ps their root -har-ooH in thp ’P^ e 111 tbe ' lab - , , .JBie residence halls have hall councils events l° r die residents to get to ■ar the siteii^ )W eac | 1 other,” she said. “Hall council J. Investigal. pjMg S are 0 p en to anyone.” the two me.' Wells said a great way to get to know your “For example, we advise roommates to make ’T state ments instead of ‘you’ state ments in order to reduce defensiveness from the accused party.” Once con flicts are resolved, Milburn rec ommends that roommates set time aside in the future, such as two weeks to one month after an incident, as a check point to je started the Hided Monday-?' 100 miles nortj KRIS fj(N : ES •.XM LION see how things are going! "Roommates and situations change,” she said, “so it is a good i|lea to set time aside on a regular basis to make sur<%verything is running smoothly.” Despite attemp|s to work out conflicts, some roommate situations may not improve. In these cases, a roommate change can Occur. Sasse empha sizes that a room change should be made only if all other attempts fail. “A room change is a last resort,” Sasse said. To make a room-change request, students must 6 their hall dirOTmr Requests can be filed until Sept. 6. If the request is approved, the student must move into their new room by 9 p.m. on Sept. 9. “Dealing with other people is a life skill. It is something that a person will have to do their whole life,” Sasse said. “The key to good relationships is compromise.” Compromises in the residence halls extend beyond those made between roommates. Residents must communicate their feelings with their neigh bors. For example, many residents are cot|cemed with noise levels. The quiet hours in all residence halls are from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. ,Sunday through Thursday. Residents can request RAs jto extend quiet hours. If another resident is being too loud, a student should go directly to the person and explain that the noise is a problem, Sasse said. ”In most situations, the person will be willing to cooperate,” Sasse said. “However, if the noise becomes a serious issue, all of the residents can come together and agree on a time in which the noise will be tolerated. That way, both parties can walk away satisfied.” Living in a residence hall can teach students concepts of communication that will be with them for the rest of their lives. “Every Aggie should be respectful and courteous to their fellow Aggies,” Sasse said. jng fire retail d were retired' W A//^)'T~ md Lars Strait; /v L ig alone in b ^ .A I -2 planes ^ mg a pass off cross parts o‘| Vest, includiU nd Wyoming, Is finding a parking spot on campus driving you nuts? uir Laundry or ir TAMU in MWfl jng; 99C shirtSt' 1 * j 846-WASH Don’t get angry - get a space of your owm ■ The College Main ParKing Garage (309 College Main) Now Open* Hassle-free parking in Northgate and just minutes from campus' Walk to class! Over 700 parking spaces. 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