Moving in with a roommate can be quite a shock for a student who has lived alone for 17 or 18 years, Lewis observed. Particularly when they all bring their stereos and boom boxes and computers and television sets. MSU generally starts out with 300 single rooms in the fall, Lewis said. Toward the end of the year, the number might jump to 800 as students move off campus or leave school. The university allows students to live alone in double or single rooms as space allows.
Double rooms cost extra.
When students have to or want to have a roommate, the university tries to make sure that roommates are compatible, said Tammie Brown, director of residence life. We take the time and care to really look through their housing applications for special living habits and desires in terms of smoking, early to bed, late to bed, neat, not so neat, with some consideration as well to their year in school and age of residents. Once they arrive on campus, roommates have the opportunity to discuss their likes and dislikes, negotiate their differences and then sign a roommate contract so problems will be easier to handle, Brown said. Staff members are trained to look for conflicts and taught how to deal with them. Today's students have more living options than residents had in the past, Brown added.