Common Concerns

In choosing to live in the residence halls, you have entered a community of peers in which:

• we all live together on this floor, or in this suite or apartment
• we are all students, so we all need to rest and to study
• we are all challenged to balance our needs for privacy with the presence of roommates, floormates, or suite/apartmentmates and their guests
• we are all challenged to explore our rights to rest, relax, recreate and socialize while not violating the rights of others

Unit Agreements: Creating a Cooperative Community

Whether you are one of six students living in a suite or one of sixty students living on a floor, a minimum level of cooperation is necessary in order to live comfortably and prevent frequent conflicts. Much of this cooperation results from a set of generally agreed upon rules and understandings that will exist among the residents of your unit. So how is it that these understandings come to be?

Your RA will work with you and the other residents in your unit to discuss and arrive at the terms that will bring about cooperation and community. These terms will be contained in a document called the Unit Agreement. This agreement will be reached through discussion of issues of common interest and concern involving you and your fellow residents.

Your RA will schedule a special unit meeting in order to discuss the Unit Agreement. You can help prepare for this discussion by considering some important questions which concern cooperation on the unit, such as:

• How will you work with other residents to keep the common areas of the unit clean and orderly? What will you expect of others in this effort?
• What do you expect of other unit residents in order to make the unit safe and secure?
• What kinds of issues or topics are considered private between roommates?
• What kinds of things should roommates learn to cooperate on so as not to have a negative impact on other members of the unit?
• How should unit residents control the amount of noise they make in order to avoid disturbing other residents? What will you expect of others that will allow you to sleep and study effectively?
• How do your habits in keeping your room clean and your personal hygiene have an impact on your roommate and on other unit residents? What will you expect of others in terms of personal hygiene?
• What, in your view, are desirable activities that may occur in the unit lounge? What activities would you prefer not to have in the lounge? What will you expect of fellow residents in order to keep the lounge clean and orderly during and following activities that occur there?

Unit Agreements in Suites and Apartments

Students assigned to suites and apartments should contact their roommates before move-in day. After move-in residents may request assistance from their RA in establishing a Unit Agreement and will discuss some more specialized questions than residents of a traditional floor unit. Many suite and apartment residents make the mistake of assuming that because there are a smaller number of people involved, it is not necessary to create a Unit Agreement. This assumption nearly always results in conflicts that range from minor annoyances to full-fledged disputes. Suite and apartment residents should consider the following questions:

• How will we reach agreement on the use of the thermostat to control the heating and air conditioning of the unit?
• How will we cooperate to keep the living room, bathrooms, and the kitchen (in apartments) clean? How do we each define “clean” as it applies to each of these rooms?
• How will each of us control the amount of noise we make in order that the others can sleep and study effectively?
• What will be our rules concerning guests who visit our suite or apartment? Can guests stay overnight in the living room?
• How will we cooperate in making sure that trash is removed from the unit regularly?
• What kinds of issues are considered private between roommates? What kinds of things should roommates learn to cooperate on so as not to have a negative effect on other suite/apartment mates?
• What expectations will we have of each other in order to ensure that the unit is secure? What rules will apply to the locking of the front door, of bedroom and bathroom doors, and windows?
• What are desirable and undesirable activities which are agreed upon for the living room?

Discussion among the residents in your unit will be devoted to arriving at answers to the above questions which are agreeable to all. On traditional floors, it is likely that some of these discussions will be held in small groups which are assigned specific questions. These small groups will generate options which will be taken back to the large group for decisions.

It is important that you consider these questions prior to your Unit Agreement meeting. If you are interested in helping your RA lead portions of the meeting, or if you have any questions about the Unit Agreement, be sure to see your RA before the meeting.