/
;•
' 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.
( Hourly Rates:
Daytime Lease:
24-Hour/7-Day-a- Week >
$ .50 2:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Lease:
SI.50 7:00p.m. - 2:00 a.m.
Monday - Friday
$640/semester
$10 Max. daily fee
S5 5/month
$ 1,600/year
$10 Special event parking
S200/semester‘
V Sunday free 7:00 a.m - 2:00 p.m.
S550/year
J
ease applications are available at
College Station City Hall
Accounting Department
101 Texas Avenue (next to Chili’s)
College Station
College Station Utility
Customer Service Building
310 Krenek Tap Road
College Station
Call 764-3565 for more information!
If YOU are Parked in a Parking Area
Designated for the 12th Man on HOME
Football Game Days, PLEASE Move Your
Vehicle BEFORE 6:30 p.m. the Evening
BEFORE the Game. For More Information,
Call 862-PARK or Visit Our Web Site
at www.ptts.tamu.edu.