One of the toughest things you may have to deal with in college is a bad roommate.  A bad roommate, in this context, is someone who is putting you in danger.  Examples of bad roommates include:

• One who has drugs in your room and uses (or sells) drugs on a regular basis
• One who keeps you up all night so you can’t study
• One who has regard for your personal property
  • Uses your materials without asking
  • Leaves the room unlocked
  • Lets friends use/take your materials
• One who brings stolen items into the room
• One who vandalizes the residence hall

What makes a bad roommate tough to deal with is you don’t want to become known of as a stitch.  You might be afraid of what your roommate and his/her friends will do if you try to resolve the matter.

Here’s an approach you can follow if you have a bad roommate.

1. Talk with your Resident Assistant (RA) about the situation.  This assumes you have already tried to resolve this with your roommate with no success.  Your RA will probably be able to take care of the problem without your roommate knowing you initiated the complaint.
2. Document episodes that represent your concerns.  Use photos and time stamps as part of your documentation.  This is especially important should your roommate be involved in illegal activities.
3. If you get no help from your RA, take your concerns to the professional who is charge of your particular residence hall.  You might want to request a reassignment to another residence hall should there be no resolution.

The one thing you want to avoid when you have a bad roommate is to get into a physical confrontation.  This could only lead to trouble for you. .