Roommate agreements serve to start a conversation and introduce the RA as the first point of contact when things start to go sideways. It’s our role as educators to help students understand how to proactively and effectively address current and potential problems to reduce harm.

The thoughtful and integrated approach to staff development based on your desired traits will create a meaningful development opportunity for your staff. Not all staff will start in the same place, but working together and sharing in the journey will bring your team closer together. It’s important to use the traits and attributes that you value in your staff and ensure you foster interest, understanding, growth, and transparency throughout your process.

It’s not always intuitive for students to think about what characteristics are important when living with someone. Popular media has suggested that you need to be best friends with your freshman roommate, and if you’re not, it’s a failed relationship. There is value in creating learning opportunities for your students to understand the criteria for matching roommates. You can take it one step further by letting your students select their own roommates.