A residence dean can help. You want to know that your child is OK, but you don't want to call. You can call a residence dean and talk over your concerns. In cases of a family emergency, the residence dean will find the student and do everything we can to help. We see a lot of roommate problems, and we have developed a roommate contract to encourage students to work out their problems together.
More serious problems occur when students do something contrary to university values.
My role is helping students define their values, intellectually and morally. Maybe a student has cheated and is now suspended. He or she is still a good person. We can't protect students from consequences, but we'll support them. We have serious conversations with students, offering counseling and support while letting them know the consequences of further violations.