{"151011":{"#nid":"151011","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Roommates 101","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ENearly all of the students who come to Georgia Tech have private rooms at home. Those who do share a room with a sibling typically have bedrooms larger than most of the double rooms at Tech. In addition, most students have never lived away from home, lived with a stranger or coped with the stress of the Georgia Tech curriculum. Add all these variables together and the potential for roommate problems becomes quite apparent. How can your student overcome this? By deliberate discussions about the basic fundamentals of social beings: asking permission, respecting the wishes of others, compromise, and sharing. The following is what we communicate to our residents.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe Basics\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EYou and your roommate have most likely come to college with different values, beliefs, and customs. Differences can be exciting, but they can also offer new challenges to your interpersonal skills.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBuilding a foundation of open communication can enhance roommate success. Start by becoming acquainted with each other so you know what to expect.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESome of the goals of sharing a room are to create an atmosphere where both your personal and academic needs can be met, and it is always nice if a friendship can develop as well! Keep in mind that your roommate\/suitemates\/apartmentmates are not going to be just like you. You will need to adjust and compromise.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBeing a Good Roommate Means . . .\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003ETalk to each other with no outside distractions\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EDo not feel like you have to be best friends\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EKeep a good sense of humor\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EBorrow only with permission\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EGive studying and sleeping top priority\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ETry to be neat\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ETake accurate phone messages\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EDiscuss potential areas of conflict\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EBe open to compromise\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EShow considerate of your roommates\u0027 privacy\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EBe honest and assertive, and standing up for yourself\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EComplete the roommate contract\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EAsk your Peer Leaders (PL) or Resident Advisor (RA) staff member for help and assistance\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ERoommate Contracts\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERoommate contracts may be utilized by Residence Life staff to help facilitate community living. This can be done at the start of the academic year or anytime throughout the year. All roommates will discuss and come to an agreement on the contract. The terms of the contract must be honored. A violation of the contract may result in judicial action.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECommon Conflicts\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOver time, Residence Life has learned to anticipate the basic pattern of roommate conflicts. Most can be summarized in five categories:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Col\u003E\u003Cli\u003EUse of space in room (too much \u0022stuff\u0022 from one person),\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EPresence or behavior of guests,\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ENoise, sharing of personal property,\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EDiffering or changing expectations of the roommate relationship, and\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EDifferences in personal values.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ol\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESupporting your Student\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBe sure that you have heard \u0022both\u0022 sides of the disagreement, or that you are not adding to the concerns. Remember, you do not have to live there! Ask if your student has shared this concern with their RA or PL. If not, please encourage them to do so. And while you want to get the situation resolved to your student\u0027s satisfaction, please remind him or her that willingness to compromise is important.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHousing\u0027s Policies on Room Moves\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBecause we start the beginning of the year at 100 percent occupancy, we simply have no space into which a student can be easily moved for a roommate conflict. We are prepared to help mediate a conflict and to work with all parties involved to create a livable situation. Please be sure your student keeps their PL or RA informed of the situation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.housing.gatech.edu\/reslife\/index.cfm\u0022\u003EClick here\u003C\/a\u003E for more information on Residence Life.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EYou and your roommate have most likely come to college with different values, beliefs, and customs. Differences can be exciting, but they can also offer new challenges to your interpersonal skills.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":"","uid":"27164","created_gmt":"2012-08-31 12:58:25","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:43","author":"Rachael Pocklington","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-08-31T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-08-31T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.housing.gatech.edu\/reslife\/index.cfm","title":"Georgia Tech Residence Life"}],"groups":[{"id":"1298","name":"Parent and Family Programs"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EResidence Life, Department of Housing\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:information@housing.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Einformation@housing.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["parents@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}