text: HomeBlogcommon roommate problems and how to solve them
  Amanda Lasicki on Monday, 13 August 2007. Posted in Residence Life
  so housing confirmations have been posted online. housing.rit.edu in case you are the lone student who has not yet rushed to check what he or she got.
  for most incoming students, their previous roommate experiences tend to be limited to slumber parties and sleep away camp. a lucky few had to share with a sibling or two.
  i've read a few news articles about colleges noticing an increase in roommate change requests before the school year even starts. why? because these days students (and in some cases, their parents) are using social networking sites like facebook and myspace to track down the roommate and if they don't like what they see, they immediately want out. not cool.
  my roommate didn't have facebook and all my attempts to reach her after finding out she was my roommate when nowhere. i referred to her as "that pamela chick". but hey, i've lived with her for two years and it's been great! some people aren't as lucky to have basically their twin (we're born six days apart) as a roommate.
  i like to go to sleep at ten thirty. my roommate is a night owl and doesn't even begin her homework until midnight. what do i do? from - not a night owl nancy
  my first suggestion is to rearrange the furniture to minimize the light from your roommate's desk hitting you in the face. try sleeping facing the wall. she needs to compromise too. suggest not using those daylight replacement lamps and turning off her AIM noises. can you sleep with some light noise? good, set the cd player on low volume to something you can both agree on. you try and stop snoring, she'll make sure to use her hair dryer in the bathroom after ten thirty. finals week my roommate gives up sleep and i've woken up to her painting at four in the morning.
  my roommate has started avoiding me. he leaves the room whenever i walk in. when i come back from class, i find gifts of soap, deoderant, and paper towels on my desk. is my roommate trying to tell me something? from - dirty dave
  yes dave, i do believe roommates offerings are a hint at something more than a ten for ten special at wally world. you stink. you're dirty. a health hazard. back home, your pizza boxes and soda cans were picked up for you, either by mommy or the maid. well you didn't bring either to college and you apparently never learned from them either. trash smells and you need to bathe. daily, in fact. ps - don't forget to clean under the bed.
  i have a great girlfriend and sometimes she spends the night. i feel bad kicking my roommate out, but i just don't know what else to do. from - lady's man larry
  losing your room to a pair of lovers happens at some point in every person's college career. so long as you aren't doing this on a regular basis, i think your roommate will be understanding. or, if he's like dirty dave, he'll probably be jealous. so as i mentioned, don't do this all the time and give your roommate a little notice. ask him even. kick her roommate out every so often too. or be super romantic and take her to a hotel for the weekend!!
  my roommate is taking over our space. her things are starting to migrate towards my side of the room. her friends are over constantly. she uses my things without asking. i'm scared to confront her! - from don't tread on me tara
  start with politely reminding her that it is your room too. you guys drew up roommate agreements at the beginning of the year and your RA has that on file. ask a mutual friend to say something. maybe start slowly nudging her things back to her side. don't be afraid to say something, just do it politely. most likely, she doesn't even realize she's doing smething wrong.