With the fall semester slowly winding down, roommate switches have begun to increase in both university residence halls and private residence halls alike.
'It's not unusual to get to this time of year when a student meets someone down the hall and decides that they want to switch,' said Paul Evans, director of university residence halls. 'You've gotten to know your roommate and realize that they may not be the best match.'
Roommate assignments for university residence halls are done completely randomly. Evans said he believes that by using a roommate preference form, incoming freshmen come to school with an unrealistic expectation that they will definitely get along with their roommate. Evans also said assigning roommates at random reduces the conflict of a student complaining, 'You guaranteed we would get along because you matched us.'
Nicole Harbin, a freshman living in Chadborne Residential College, had been experiencing conflicts with her roommate and decided a week ago to take action.
'The thing about the dorms is that you live so close to someone else, and obviously things are going to tick you off. The situation was dealt [with] very peacefully. Mutually we felt, 'I like you, but I can't live with you so it's best for us to switch,' ' Harbin said.
She approached her house fellow who mentioned that another girl living on the same floor, but in another wing, was also experiencing roommate problems. The two girls decided to do a switch.
'After contacting my house fellow, she helped us with everything, and the process was very simple,' Harbin said.
Amy Bergstrom, who works for University Partners, the company who will be taking over the management of private residence halls starting Jan. 1, said that it goes through a roommate matching process that includes a preference form for students to fill out.
'We ask students to complete a form that gives them the opportunity to provide details on their personal living preferences. We then review the forms and make matches based on the information provided,' Bergstrom said. 'We believe this process allows us to link students with similar interests and helps to minimize the potential for roommate conflicts.'
Lauren Levin, a sophomore who lived in The Statesider, 505 N. Frances St., as a freshman, said everyone was very helpful when she switched roommates at the end of the semester.
'I don't blame The Statesider for setting me up with someone I was incompatible with. When I did decide to move, though, they were so great about making sure the situation would go smoothly,' Levin said.
