Showering without sandals and sitting on a toilet seat without
worrying about what deed the previous user may have committed are
luxuries students living in the dorms are forced to give up.
As if going from private to communal showers and toilets
isn’t enough, students have to deal with the pressures of
living with one or two strangers whether they live in suites, an
apartment or a cramped dorm room.
This can be a daunting task, and even something as minute as
outdated food in the refrigerator can become a source of conflict
of privacy, as one was for Claire Spafford, a second-year
undeclared student.
“My roommate had all this really gross … food that had
become really moldy. I wanted to throw it out, but I felt kind of
bad,” she said. “I ended up throwing out the Tupperware
because I didn’t want to bother cleaning it out, and she was
a little pissed at that.”
Second-year Ashish Gupta, a second-year economics student who
lived in Rieber Hall for two years, said compromise is key in
handling roommate situations, and some issues can be handled with
little or no confrontation.
“There are many issues which have to have a sort of
unspoken agreement for them to work,” Gupta said. “The
whole roommate thing is mostly just a matter of give and
take.”
And the lack of privacy in dorm life doesn’t end at the
sharing of physical space ““ it can sometimes infringe on a
student’s level of comfort in his or her own room.
Jonas Lee, a second-year mechanical engineering student and
resident of Rieber Hall, said he realized he would have to be
conscious of doing what he would normally do at home as a devout
Christian, as both his roommates had religious backgrounds
different than his own.
“An obstacle I faced was that I’m a Christian and
both my roommates were pretty hardcore atheists, so I
couldn’t freely do my devotions or play music or have
discussions that may offend them or put me in an awkward
situation,” Lee said.
Other conflicts arise simply because of the cramped rooms.
Though the suites may seem to offer more privacy, with the
availability of separate bathrooms and more space than the dorms,
the subject of privacy is just as touchy.
Yin Wu, a first-year electrical engineer student who lived in
Saxon Suites last year, commented on the downside of rubbing elbows
with roommates.
“Sometimes I just want my own personal space and I’m
sure the roommate feels the same … if the roommate brings back a
girl, what are you supposed to do?” Wu said.Â
“I had to deal with that a few times, but I was cool with
it. I said, “˜Just don’t do it on my bed,'”
he added.
The general consensus among students seems to be that though
difficult, sharing breathing space is just another part of
life.
“Having roommates is a good experience, and helps prep you
for your future, interactive lives,” Wu
said. “Learning to compensate is very useful, but that
can also lead to intrusion of a person’s privacy. Either way
it’s not a bad thing.”