By Olivia Koravos
On Tuesday, February 19th at 7pm in Hammond Main Lounge, Resident Assistants Andrea Duncan and Kimberly Patterson held “Roommate Round-Up” which was a campus-wide event. This event was conceived by Andrea Duncan, a Fitchburg State University Resident Assistant, or “RA.” The goal of the evening was to help residents who are looking for a fellow student to share a room with, or students to share a suite or apartment with. This event included “getting-to-know-you” games that included beach ball toss questions, commonality BINGO, and a game that resembled speed-dating but was altered for this specific occasion.
When it comes to the struggles of finding someone to fill a space, Kimberly Patterson, a sophomore RA here on campus, has observed the issue before. “I have noticed with some of my friends and even residents the disconnect of being able to find a roommate to live with,” Kimmy stated. This is a problem that many college students experience and can relate to, especially as they get older and can increase their selectiveness when it comes to who they want to live with. One of the main goals of this event, according to Patterson, was to encourage healthy living spaces and possibly help spur some friendships with residents who crossed paths for the first time that evening.
Andrea Duncan talked about this being an issue even for students who have large social circles that span among several portions of student-life. “It can be hard to find people to live with outside your social circles, people in your major, and clubs that you are in. I think this [was] a great opportunity to expand on that and … end up living with someone you otherwise wouldn’t have met.”
The event was designed by Duncan and Patterson to resemble a stop-light party. Different colors represented the various desires students have for their particular living situations. As conversations with new people can often be a bit difficult to begin, these colored cups worked to serve as a link among residents involved.
It is the hope of facilitator Duncan that this event becomes an annual occasion, for she believes it has the potential to gain a popularity that allows students to have something to look forward to. It very well might become a yearly resource for students to expand their social horizons and possibly have a new roommate or suitemate they would not have had otherwise.
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Roommate Roundup
March 3, 2019
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