Roommate Etiquette

By Sarah Hainesworth

In 2009, Amanda Knox, an American student, studying abroad in Italy was accused of killing her roommate, Meredith Kercher.

Since we now see that unchecked anger can lead to tragedy (sorry but I still don’t think Amanda Knox is innocent) we, as college students, have got to take it upon ourselves to learn a little roommate etiquette. We need to solve our issues before we start acting with violence against our roommates! Here is a guide on how to live in peace with your fellow student.

Rule #1: Do not use or even touch anything that does not belong to you. Everyone who has ever had a roommate knows just how annoying this can be. If I have two boxes of Dominos Pizza in the fridge waiting for me, why would you eat both? If I have 10 sheets of paper left in my printer, don’t even think about printing your 6 page (single spaced) paper out using my stuff! Do you know how expensive ink cartridges are!? Lastly but not least important; the person I’m dating also falls into the category of things you shouldn’t touch. Follow this rule, no matter what the object is, and everything will be all good.

Rule # 2: Clean your S#%&! This rule applies most to the females out there because a lot of men have no problem living in filth. I am not a man, therefore, if you decide to make a Lasagna dinner for Grandma, all your sisters children, and the mailman; I’m going to need you to wash those dishes tonight, not tomorrow, not 5 days from now, not in 2 weeks but TONIGHT! There is no reason any female should be that dirty. I could care less what your room looks like but the common areas need to be impeccable at all times. Clean like Obama is coming over for a visit!

Rule # 3: Pay your share of the bills. Oh so you don’t have your half of the water bill this month? I’m pretty sure you took or shower or washed your hands between the 1st and the 30th so pay up! I see you have money for Lucky Jeans and Jordan’s though; return it and problem solved. I really don’t want to hear that you don’t have the rent money. I don’t know about you but I sure as hell don’t need an eviction on my credit report or even the eviction notice on the door for the entire world to see, just figure it out!

The easiest way to handle any roommate beef is to just think of it as temporary. You ONLY have to live together; nobody’s asking you to be best friends.

So there you have it. Follow the directions above and the next twelve months will go by in no time (unless you’re trapped in a fifteen month lease like me).