For some students, getting along with an assigned roommate in the residence halls is difficult. The situation can be made worse when the roommates have opposing views on religion, music or sexuality. And for residents who are not comfortable with their roommate’s lifestyle, a year-long housing contract could be a negative experience for both parties.
Pairing roommates who have opposing views on each other’s sexuality is especially disastrous. One possible solution would be for University Housing to place a “queer-friendly” option on its roommate questionnaire form asking potential residents if they are more comfortable living with a homosexual or heterosexual roommate.
Currently, the roommate questionnaire asks other important lifestyle questions so it can properly match future roommates. Residents are asked to check boxes indicating sleeping hours, sound levels, music and smoking preferences and their approaches to cleanliness to help make sure roommates are compatible. Adding an additional option concerning the level of comfort with homosexuality would just be one more box to check.
For students who would be most affected, this could have the benefit of creating a safer environment for residents. Gay students shouldn’t be paired with roommates who are uncomfortable sharing a room with homosexuals, and vice versa. Placing individuals in living situations where both parties aren’t comfortable is counter-productive and only encourages intolerance.
One way to open minds is to expose new students to different cultures and lifestyles through the residence hall experience. But the University needs to recognize that there are ways to improve their roommate-pairing survey. Placing a “queer-friendly” option on the questionnaire is a simple step toward creating a safer, more comfortable living environment for hall residents.