Roommate Drug use

QuantMech
Wed, 11 Jul 2012 23:43:22 +0000

I think that Marian in post #38 offered a great, practical solution: namely to find another mis-matched pair and exchange roommates. And yet the discussion in this thread makes me quite uncomfortable. Some of the comments seem to me to reflect very strong pressure on young people to be non-judgmental and accommodating of their roommates. I am behind that 100% when the roommates are engaged in any legal conduct.

But in a situation where the roommates are assigned by the college, does a student not have a right to the presumption that the roommate will not be conducting illegal activities in the shared room? In my (admittedly limited) experience, people who smoke [whatever] generally do smoke in their dorm rooms.

There have also been a number of posts suggesting that students need to learn how to set boundaries before heading to college. Most high school students do have some experience along those lines. However, I am not sure that most high school students have the experience of trying to persuade a relative stranger not to continue an illegal activity . . . at least most do not have that experience out here in conservative Nerdville. (I may need to change my “location” listed in the side-bar to better reflect reality.)

So, I’m thinking about the introductions during Parents’ Weekend: “Mom, Dad, this is my roommate. She’s . . . unindicted.”

Edit: Probably I should make that location: “Politically liberal, but evidently socially conservative Nerdville.” [Population: 2]