Class Activity: Roommate Gripes

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Goal: This exercise helps students address conflicts as well as think about how they might pick a future roommate. If you use this exercise in class, you can be sure many of the students will be experiencing some of the conflicts listed and will be eager to hear possible solutions.

Activity 1: Working Together: Roommate Gripes 

Residence hall staff report that the most common areas of conflict between housemates or roommates are those listed below. Have students check the ones that are true for them.

__ One roommate needs quiet to study; the other needs music or sound.

__ One roommate is neat; the other is messy.

__ One roommate smokes; the other hates smoking.

__ One roommate brings in a lot of guests; the other finds them obnoxious.

__ One roommate likes the room warm; the other likes it cool.

__ One roommate considers the room a place to have fun; the other considers it a place to study.

__ One roommate likes to borrow; the other isn’t comfortable lending.

__ One roommate is a morning person; the other is a night owl.

__ One roommate follows all the residence hall rules; the other breaks them.

Ask students who select the same conflicts to work in a small group to create ideas for resolving these differences.