Penn's randomized roommate assignments force freshmen into the Great Unknown

Smoker. Non-smoker. Kosher. By checking any of these three boxes, Penn's incoming freshmen seal the fate of their roommate assignments. Although students are given the option of living in specialized college houses or living/learning programs, the majority of freshmen opt for general first-year housing -- and along with that decision, they take on the risk of randomized roommate assignments. Occupancy Associate Director Ellie Rupsis said the University's roommate assignment system is based primarily on room-type preferences -- such as a single versus a double room. "We feel there is nothing to suggest that more questions would yield more satisfactory results," Rupsis said. But with the recent release of the Biddison Hier and Brownlee proposals for the future of residential life comes the possibility for change in the current roommate assignment process. Vice Provost for University Life Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum explained that there are many considerations as the University plans a potential change for the assignment cycle for the 1998-99 academic year. One possibility is for freshmen to request to live with upperclassmen students. For those students who do not wish to select a specific roommate, McCoullum said more "matching components" would be included on a more detailed questionnaire. Similar questionnaires are already used at several other Ivy League schools. Princeton University freshmen answer nine open-ended lifestyle questions -- including questions about bedtimes, musical tastes, their intended majors and whether they plan to join a varsity sports team. These questions ensure that roommates have diverse interests, but compatible lifestyles. "I ended up with a very interesting mix of ethnicities, family backgrounds and interests? which created lots of wonderful conversation and crazy late nights," said Princeton freshman Norah Kelleher, adding that she is living with the same three roommates again next year. Princeton's associate director of housing, Joseph Plaska, said there are very few room changes made at the school. "That's mostly because we have a very full campus and there's just no room to make changes," he said. "But we seem to have few complaints about roommate situations, so our matches must work to a certain extent." Dartmouth College Director of Housing Services Lynn Rosenblum said Dartmouth also has few requests for room changes. She estimated that there are fewer than 20 requests each year from among the approximately 1,000 students who live on campus. While Rosenblum described Dartmouth's assignment process as "simple" -- it still incorporates more categories than Penn's current system. Dartmouth Housing Services factor student responses about smoking habits, late night behavior, musical tastes, messiness and medical needs into assigning roommates. Dartmouth freshman William Tift said he appreciated the school's conscious effort to match different, yet compatible students. "It teaches you tolerance and patience," Tift said. "And you are exposed to lots of new people and experiences." But unlike Princeton and Dartmouth, room change requests at Penn are fairly common --Ealthough not all are due to mismatched roommates. "It's a very tough adjustment for many students because most have had their own rooms? to live with someone can be difficult," Director of Counseling and Psychological Services Ilene Rosenstein said. To facilitate these requests, Penn offers three scheduled periods during the academic year when students can petition for a room change. "We have to expect [room change requests]," King's Court/English House Resident Dean Krimo Bokreta explained. "We're putting people together who have never lived together." One female freshman,who wished to remain anonymous, said she applied for a room change in December after her roommate repeatedly ate her food and borrowed items without asking first. "I don't think she thought anything was wrong with it though, and that was a problem in itself," the student said. "I tried to talk to her about it, but nothing ever changed." Another freshman who requested anonymity said her room change process took more than three months. Since she and her roommate were unhappy in their living arrangement, both filed for room changes and a debate arose over who would be the one to move out. "I felt torn between staying and dealing with [the roommate], and leaving my hallmates," the student said. "That's one of the reasons I almost didn't apply for the change." After meeting with their resident advisor and resident dean in their college house, the two freshmen ended up flipping a coin over who would move out. Cornell University is also considering revising its roommate assignment system -- which, like Penn, currently groups students based on room type and location requests. Cornell's Residential Housing Department is looking to update the computer system it uses to assign roommates, according to Marketing and Support Services Director Peggy Beach. "Roommate problems are not a huge problem, but we would like the flexibility to consider more lifestyle questions," Beach said. There is a similar feeling among some people at Penn. Rosenstein said freshmen should be asked about concrete personality traits. "Things like messiness and late night habits can cause a lot of tension in a small room," she said. And Lenord Miller, associate director of Penn's Counseling and Psychological Services, agreed, suggesting a free response section where students could emphasize whatever aspect of their personality they felt was most necessary to accommodate to. But Rupsis noted that it is hard to guarantee honest answers to these types of questions. "Students often answer those questions depending on what they want in a roommate, as opposed to what type of person they really are," she said.

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