2008 Woodie Awards
Should RA's really have roommates?
Well, lately they have no choice...
Sandy Sternitzky
Issue date: 9/20/07 Section: Opinions
- Page 1 of 1
Towards the end of the summer, everyone gets ready to come back to school, get all of their stuff moved in, settle in with their roommate, and put their best foot forward.
But, what happens when, as you're walking down the sidewalk from your mailbox, you read the Lakeland letter that states you will have two roommates instead of one? You heard me right ladies and gentlemen, two roommates!
But do not despair fellow Muskies, the Resident Assistants (RA's), who have never had roommates before are now adjusting to the fact that they have to have roommates because residence life has nowhere else to house people.
This may seem all fine and dandy to some people, because it makes sense to put a roommate with someone who has a single room. But what if you were the one who was put with someone who had everything planned out? The RA's may have already had their own plan. They knew ahead of time how, they would set the room up, their class schedule would be, and their study time and relaxing time would intertwine with their RA responsibilities.
This has bothered several RA's that I know. They have to deal with having a roommate and trying to hold a job at the same time. When a student needs to talk to their RA, they should be able to talk in private and not have to worry about having someone else being there and listening in on the conversation.
In a way, when an RA has to do their job, they are somewhat forced to kick their roommate out. I don't think the roommate should have to deal with it.
On the other hand, there is a benefit to having a roommate. With most of them being international, the RA has the opportunity to teach them ways of the American culture and even the language. It is a good teaching opportunity.
With the surprise of the RA's having roommates being over for the most part, I think they have adjusted well. But I might be wrong. The RA's could absolutely despise and just be putting on a happy face. Let's all just hope that the new residence hall gets built soon, really soon.
But, what happens when, as you're walking down the sidewalk from your mailbox, you read the Lakeland letter that states you will have two roommates instead of one? You heard me right ladies and gentlemen, two roommates!
But do not despair fellow Muskies, the Resident Assistants (RA's), who have never had roommates before are now adjusting to the fact that they have to have roommates because residence life has nowhere else to house people.
This may seem all fine and dandy to some people, because it makes sense to put a roommate with someone who has a single room. But what if you were the one who was put with someone who had everything planned out? The RA's may have already had their own plan. They knew ahead of time how, they would set the room up, their class schedule would be, and their study time and relaxing time would intertwine with their RA responsibilities.
This has bothered several RA's that I know. They have to deal with having a roommate and trying to hold a job at the same time. When a student needs to talk to their RA, they should be able to talk in private and not have to worry about having someone else being there and listening in on the conversation.
In a way, when an RA has to do their job, they are somewhat forced to kick their roommate out. I don't think the roommate should have to deal with it.
On the other hand, there is a benefit to having a roommate. With most of them being international, the RA has the opportunity to teach them ways of the American culture and even the language. It is a good teaching opportunity.
With the surprise of the RA's having roommates being over for the most part, I think they have adjusted well. But I might be wrong. The RA's could absolutely despise and just be putting on a happy face. Let's all just hope that the new residence hall gets built soon, really soon.
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