Roommate Security Disagreement

YoPongo
Thu, 29 Sep 2011 17:35:54 +0000

Hey, I’ve searched for and read through threads about roommate problems, but couldn’t find a specific thread on this issue. Let me know if I missed something, though.

I go to school in a major city. Though the area where my college is located is safe, there are robberies on campus all the time. This month, two laptops have been stolen from unlocked dorm rooms–in my building alone. Our doors don’t lock behind us, so I make a point to lock the door every time I leave it empty.

As you might have guessed based on the title of this thread, my roommate does not. The past two times I’ve returned to the room, I’ve just walked right in. Once my roommate finally returned to the room, I asked her why our door was unlocked (with my laptop on my desk, my purse and wallet by the door, my camera in my bag, etc). She responded with a shrug and said “I was just going to the bathroom.” I totally get this; I think it’s taking it a little too far to demand that the door be locked if you’re just running to the bathroom to wash your hands or something. However, she was not just washing her hands, and was in the bathroom for about ten minutes. She has also left the door unlocked when going to the basement to check her mail, which is definitely not okay with me.

I’ve brought this issue up with her several times-- when we signed our roommate agreement, and in the three or four times I’ve caught her leaving our room unlocked. What is the best course of action now? She’s not going to stop unless I do something but I don’t want to overreact. On some of the other threads about roommate issues, the OP is always told to go talk to their RA. Well, what do I tell my RA? What can she do in a situation like this?

Thanks for any responses to this overly long post!