Learning to live with a new roommate may be a difficult adjustment for some students.

Students face conflicts such as dividing responsibilities and getting along with their roommate. In order to help ease this process, University Housing offers students the option to sign a roommate agreement.

“The roommate agreement is a written agreement that establishes certain duties between the two roommates,” explained Aaron Wilkinson, a senior mathematics major and St. Tammany Hall resident. “They both sign this agreement at the beginning of the fall semester along with their RA. They also make it clear how they feel about things such as noise level, room temperature, sharing items, etc. Basically, both people sit down and establish clear terms.”

The agreement is designed to reduce the possibility of conflict by addressing common problems between roommates. The agreement encourages students to resolve conflict in a mature fashion.

“Some of the most common problems that I hear about from other residents is having too many guests in the dorms, too much noise, going to bed too late, disagreements about having guests of the opposite sex over and a lack of communication,” said Wilkinson. “Pretty much every roommate conflict that I have heard of from other residents boils down to one or all of these issues. Many were unable to resolve these issues, and the relationship broke down. They simply could not understand each other because they never made an effort to.”

Michael DeGraauw, a sophomore history major and a resident of Twelve Oaks Hall, shared how the roommate agreement affected his experience with his roommate and helped make his first year of college better.

“Last year, the roommate experience itself was actually a lot of fun,” explained DeGraauw. “Filling out the roommate agreement and having the RAs come to the rooms and inspect them actually helped me bond with my roommate. After we filled out the roommate agreement and went through inspections, we began talking to each other more which led to us starting to become friends. The most important thing to remember is that you need to talk to your roommate to try to understand him or her.”

Among the residents that he knew personally, Wilkinson emphasized that the ones who filled out the roommate agreement were more likely to live cooperatively.

“One of the benefits of completing the roommate agreement is more accountability,” explained Wilkinson. “Both people have sat down and made it clear that they are responsible for sticking to what they wrote on the agreement. They have also allotted certain duties between each other. If a disagreement ever occurs or someone does not do what they said they would, you can contact the RA and show them the document.”

Wilkinson feels that communication is essential if students wish to have a peaceful living arrangement.

“If y’all do not talk to each other, that’s a recipe for disaster,” discussed Wilkinson. “The roommate agreement can serve as a good starting point in regards to that.”

Beginning your relationship with a new roommate by filling out a roommate agreement can also have a positive effect on your college experience.

Printed copies of the roommate agreement are available in the Housing Office located in Pride Hall and on the University Housing page on the university website.