5 Ways to Love Your Roommate and Suitemates
Posted On September 04, 2024
Written by Jordan Berntson, Resident Director
As believers in Jesus Christ, we are called to love one another and build each other up in faith (1 Thess. 5:11). This truth is foundational for living in peace and harmony, whether on campus in RBC’s residence hall or off campus.
I would like to encourage you with these five ways to love your roommates:
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Set up expectations and boundaries. It’s best to set these up right away and write them down. Figure out a cleaning schedule for the common areas that work best for each of you to contribute. As a group, determine if you want to have quiet hours in the mornings or evenings, how often you want guests over throughout the week, or when everyone will do their laundry in the suite. It is wise to discuss which items are free for anybody to use (e.g. toilet paper, vacuum cleaner) and which items are off-limits for others.
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Respect your roommates’ personal space. Please do not use other people’s personal belongings without their permission. This includes but is not limited to eating their food, sleeping in their bed, or entering a bedroom or bathroom without knocking or getting permission first. If you share a bedroom, don’t leave your belongings around the room or take over that space when your roommate is gone.
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Always clean up after yourself. As soon as you make food and eat it, wash your dishes and put away your uneaten food. After you wake up and get ready for the day, make your bed and tidy up your bedroom and bathroom.
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Take time to care for one another. Get to know your roommates’ interests, dislikes, and family background. Check in from time to time on how they are doing. You and your roommates may not always have similar backgrounds or shared hobbies, but part of the joy and privilege of college life is learning to care for other people as your neighbor.
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Have open communication with one another. If something they are doing or not doing is bothering you, such as a comment they made or they’re not picking up after themselves in a timely fashion, let them know as soon as possible. They may not realize that what they are doing has hurt or bothered you. Little things like these can fester and cause more problems down the road.
Living in a community with brothers and sisters in Christ is such a gift while in college, and I hope these five guidelines will help you display Christian love to your roommates while at RBC.