Roommate Relationships
Residence Life and Housing Services believes strongly in the value of the campus residential experience. This experience provides you with the exciting opportunities to meet new people and to be exposed to difference cultures and lifestyles.
Incoming first-year students are assigned to rooms and roommates randomly. Housing Assignments uses the information provided on your First Year Housing Application to make roommate assignments. While no one can guarantee a “perfect roommate” assignment, we have found that answers to these questions provide a reasonable starting point for establishing a relationship from which students can develop a mutually rewarding roommate experience.
Students interested in searching for a roommate before the application deadline of Friday, June 5, 2009 may use our Roommate Finder. Remember, the majority of students do not enter Duke with a preferred roommate, so it is OK if you don't find someone!
Laying the Groundwork for a Healthy Roommate Relationship
Healthy roommate relationships take time to develop. An important place to start is by getting to know each other. Make time to find out about your roommate’s background, habits, interests, and pet peeves. Talk about the differences between you, how they may affect your living environment and what compromises you both may have to maintain harmony. Discuss what you hope for in a roommate relationship.
During your first weeks of school, your Resident Assistant will be asking you to formally address some of the issues you have discussed by completing a “Roommate Living Agreement.” This document assists you in understanding and communicating needs and expectations related to study time, sleep time, cleanliness, guests, shared use of personal belongings, shared expenses (CATV, telephone), etc.
Tips!
Communicate! Talk about the little things that bother you before they escalate into bigger issues.
Many students have never had to share a bedroom before. Be prepared to compromise!
Don’t expect to be best friends. If a strong friendship develops between roommates, that's great! The important thing is to accept, appreciate, and grow from the experience of living with someone who may be very different from you.
Remember that each of you have rights. Treat your roommate(s) as you would like to be treated!
Don’t rely on first impressions! Make the time to know each other.
The Roommate Bill of Rights
This Bill of Rights defines mutual responsibilities among roommates. Each person has a basic right to:
- Live in a clean space
- Expect that your roommate(s) will respect your personal belongings
- Study in your room without unreasonable distraction
- Sleep in your room without unreasonable disruption
- Free access to your room
- Expect that guests will visit during mutually-established hours
- A limited degree of personal privacy
- Live in an environment free of harassment and/or intimidation