Finding the perfect roommate is no easy task; however, changing roommates is a whole other situation.

There are many reasons people want to change rooms.

The reasons vary just as much as the people do, said Mark Hudson, director of Housing and Dining. Some people find more compatible roommates or some just want to live in other buildings.

Personality conflicts and lack of communication are some reasons why this happens, said Brittany Yates, a resident assistantfor Taylor Hall.

“We had personality differences and complete opposite schedules,” said Ariel Speagle, a freshman early childhood education major, who recently swapped roommates and rooms.

“We really didn’t know each other at all,” said La’Quantus Ruskin, a freshman business management major, another resident who switched roommates.

About 100 people switch rooms during the semester and about 200 switch rooms between the semesters, Hudson said.

For those people who are having trouble with their roommates, there is a process they can go through to change roommates.

The first step is talking to your roommate, Hudson said. By talking to your roommate, you may be able to solve your own problems and see that you can get along and do not have to move, Hudson said.

If you still have problems after talking to your roommate, you need to talk to your RA. With an RA, a resident will go through mediation, which is talking about his or her problems with their roommate to mediate the conversation, and help make compromises so that moving might not be necessary.

“If they do end up moving they walk away with a better understanding of how their actions are perceived, which will hopefully help them have a more successful roommate situation next time,” Hudson said.

The next step in the process is for a resident to make an appointment with their building director, who will meet with each person and ask what their problems are and help offer solutions and possible places they can go.

Those who go through the process have different experiences during it. The process was stressful for Speagle.

“I had four meetings with my RA, four meetings with my building director and I think there shouldn’t have been that many meetings,” Speagle said. “The process should be shorter, it shouldn’t take a month.”

Ruskin said she was excited because she knew she would feel more comfortable after the switch was made.

Soon, the housing contract will be an online survey, which will have more variables for roommate compatibility.

“The whole process is not like eHarmony. We aren’t trying to find someone’s soul mate,” Hudson said.

Housing does what they can to make all the residents comfortable, but they also want the students to experience new things and differences, he said.

The Housing and Dining Services representatives hope that students can learn from their roommate situations, because when they graduate they will not always get along with those that are around them, but they still have to work with them.

While housing does what they can to make the students happy and give them compatible roommates, they do not want the students running away from their problems.

Samantha McDaniel can be reached at 581-7942

or slmcdaniel@eiu.edu.