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.

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.