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Dorm Etiquette

Dorm Etiquette
9/6/2011
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Darci Miller

A big deal is always made about being a good roommate in college. I’ve seen many a list on how not to drive the person you’re forced to live with up a wall but what about proper etiquette for living in a dorm? Being a good neighbor involves an entirely different set of rules than being a good roommate.

For example, try to keep your music down in a dorm room. It’s all well and good if both you and your roommate love heavy bass but unless you’ve cleared it with your entire floor – and sometimes your upstairs and downstairs neighbors as well – it’s good to be courteous and NOT turn it up to 11. I’ve been known to glare mutinously at the wall between my room and my neighbor's as their music is thumping away at 2 a.m.

You’ll also want to respect personal boundaries. Really, don’t use the toilet when your suitemate is using the sink, unless it’s previously agreed upon. It happens. I have personal experience on my side.

Don’t rip down decorations in the halls; someone (like your RA) worked really hard to put them up. Along the same lines, garbage belongs in a garbage can. As much as I love seeing a rotten apple smushed on the floor outside my room (sarcasm, of course), it shouldn’t be there. The same goes for hairballs: Throw yours in your trashcan instead of kicking them into the hall.

Don’t touch other people’s underwear – aka be courteous in the laundry room. It’s inevitable that at some point, you’ll have to move someone’s laundry so you can use their machine but only do so in desperate times. I hate knowing that a stranger was rooting around in my clothes.

It all comes down to being respectful. You don’t have to be Dorm Resident Extraordinaire but thinking about the people living around you is much appreciated by your neighbors and floormates. Unless, of course, you want the girl living next door to you groaning about how obnoxious your music is.

Darci Miller is a New Yorker studying journalism and sport administration at the University of Miami. When she’s not writing for the school newspaper, you can find her at the gym, either working or working out. She loves all ‘80s pop culture (the cheesier the better!), and glues herself to her TV when the Olympics are on. She dreams big, and believes the sky’s the limit!

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