Common courtesy in college dorms

Students know that coming to a university or college can involve dorm life where roommates are inevitable unless they’re lucky enough to be in a dorm where roommates aren’t part of the norm.

What students seem to forget is that living in a dorm means living in a shared space and each individual has their own unique living expectations. I remember when I first started to prepare to live in the Brookman dorms.  

I was excited because I knew I wouldn’t have to deal with having a roommate. I’m an introvert so dealing with a roommate, who might be an extrovert, isn’t for me. Also, there are times where I want to be alone and have some privacy.

I realized that a lot of the dorm rooms on campus are small. I knew I would feel claustrophobic if I had to continue to spend time with another student in an enclosed space.

However, I also knew that while the room didn’t come with a fridge, there was a communal kitchen and, since I’m religious and can’t buy food on Sundays, I was terrified someone would, at some point, steal my food.

Since I’d heard all of the horror stories of theft in the communal kitchens I decided to rent my own fridge.

That being said, not all students are that lucky. Often I will hear students complain because the food they put in the communal fridge was stolen by someone else.

I know that unless I put something in the communal fridge or unless the word “Free” is written on something it isn’t mine and I shouldn’t, and don’t, take it.

I know how I would feel if someone were to take something of mine, so I make sure I don’t do that to anyone else.

One precaution students can take is to label their food by putting their name on it and politely asking other students not to touch their stuff.

Students in kind should remember that unless they know that the food they’re taking is theirs, don’t touch it.

It’s wrong for students to take anything that they know doesn’t belong to them. If someone is in college, they are old enough to know right from wrong.

Another point of common courtesy that students should consider is laundry in terms of remembering to take their clothes out of the washer and dryer on time so that it isn’t an inconvenience to others.

What’s even worse is in the small dorms where there are only a few washer and dryers for 80 students and all of the washers are occupied yet the timer on the washer or dryer says the clothes are done.

Keeping track of when they put their clothes in the laundry machines, how long each machine will take to wash their clothes and remembering to take clothes out on time is an easy way to make living in the dorms easier, not just for the individual, but for everyone in the community.

In my own personal experience, the problem I have the most are the lint traps. I have to clean out the lint another student left behind in the dryer.

My mother always told me that leaving the lint in a dryer and never cleaning it out is a fire hazard. I don’t enjoy the sound of the fire alarm, therefore I want to hear it as little as possible.

In the future, students should remember that they’re in a shared living space and that it’s important to be courteous and considerate of others.