Living with and learning to live with a roommate is an important part of the Grinnell College experience. Students learn the necessary lifetime skills of negotiation, compromise, and communication when living with a peer. Through the roommate experience, students develop friendships that last a lifetime; appreciate diversity of experiences, talents, and cultures; and develop a sense of belonging to the Grinnell Community. Because the roommate experience is an integral part of the Grinnell experience, first and second year students will have a roommate.

Returning students are housed through a process of class seniority and randomly assigned room draw numbers. First and second year students will have at least one roommate. Selecting a roommate requires careful thought, patience, and time and begins long before April Room Draw. Current first year students are encourage to attend a Roommate Social prior to Room Draw, and make roommate arrangements before April Room Draw. Current first year students who do not have a roommate selected will be housed on a space-available basis with a roommate(s) during the summer.

CONSOLIDATIONS: Students leave the College for various reasons throughout the semester. A first or second year student who is without a roommate must find a new roommate, or move in with someone who also needs a roommate. This move must be completed by a date determined by the Housing Office. This is called a willing consolidation. If the student without a roommate fails to consolidate willingly, then the Dean of Students will assign the student to a new space in College housing. This is an assigned consolidation. Students not checked out of their previous space and moved into their newly assigned room within the agreed upon time will be accessed a daily fee up to the daily room rate for each space in the room and a fine of $100 per day.

ROOM CHANGES: Students are expected to work out expectations, differences, and disagreements with their roommates. Sometimes students can do this on their own; often this requires the help of the Resident Life Coordinator. When a roommate relationship enters into a period of negotiation, conflict, or disagreement, students are expected to work with their RLC to establish a better living situation between the roommates. In most cases, students and the hall staff will work through the situations, agree on standards of behavior, and set expectations for the roommate relationship. This requires time and a commitment to make it work.
In rare situations, living arrangements do not work out for various reasons. After working with the roommate and RLC in the manner previously mentioned, the roommates and RLC may begin a conversation regarding a room change.

The following steps are required for a student to be considered for a room change:

The roommates speak with each other about the living situation and work out a living agreement that works for all students involved. If this does not work, then roommates speak with a Residence Life Coordinator and set concrete objectives for resolving the issues, changing the undesired behaviors, and exhibiting respect for the roommate relationship.