By this time in the school year, roommates are starting to reveal their true colors, as conflicts arise with every passing day among residents sharing the same space. Several anonymous students expressed complaints about roommates.

“They leave their clothes scattered all over the dorm room floor.”

“They have taken the space and created a social hangout in which other residents come and stay until all hours of the night while I am trying to study.”

“They listen to the most horrible music and stomp around early in the morning getting ready for class never considering the fact that I am still asleep.”

Health Services Counselor Lynne Martin has heard every complaint imaginable during her 10 years at UNA. On-campus students come to her all the time trying to free themselves of roommate problems: cleanliness, different morals and belief systems, schedule conflicts and more.

“The key to getting along with your roommate is communication and respect,” Martin said.

Martin gives a few helpful hints in dealing with a difficult roommate:

1. “If cleanliness is the issue, suggest a chore list where the burden of keeping things neat is shared. By doing this, a sense of responsibility is formed in the offending party, and respect is developed between the two.”

2. “Maybe the problem comes from the roommates having differences in morals and belief systems. If this is the case, boundaries must be developed, and communication is the key to doing this.”

3. “If personality types are clashing too much to ignore, communication between the roommates is essential. An effort to find common ground needs to be made.”

4. “If it is a criminal situation, an extreme case of bullying, or any other dangerous or harmful position, then the best thing to do is to go to a higher authority, such as a CA or FYRE Fellow. Their job is to assist in situations such as these, and they would be glad to help.”

“When my sister and I were little, we used duct tape to draw a line in our room,” Martin said. “This was our boundary line, where we both agreed, ‘What is on your side is yours, and what is on my side is mine.'”

Whatever the issue is, Martin would love to help. She and her coworkers desire to give an objective standpoint in conflicts such as these. Her office hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday. She can be reached at Bennett Infirmary.

To schedule an appointment, call 256-765-4328.