Friday, June 04, 2004

one-person dorm rooms

My latest Ka Leo editorial

It is about the need for one person-dorms. The copy editor did a screw up in the title by putting "one-man rooms" instead of the preferred "one person rooms". After all, females are dorming too, and some might have the same thought as I. The preference over the words "one-person" over the words "one-man" isn't "political correctness", it's about respect!

Anyways, here's the editorial

http://www.kaleo.org/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/06/03/40be69c8cd586

UH needs additional one-man rooms

By Pablo Wegesend
Ka Leo Staff Columnist
June 03, 2004


I understand the university and the state of Hawai'i are in financial crisis. But once both reemerge, housing needs to be changed.

We need to build dorms made up of one-person rooms. The main reason why I don't live on campus anymore is because I am tired of sharing a room with another human being.

Some buildings have one-person rooms, but they are very limited and very hard to get. Some students try to become resident advisers just to get the one-person room -- which I tried without success.

If we had more one-person rooms, there would be more people living on campus. I know I would still be there.

I liked living on campus, occasionally chatting with neighbors and the front desk folks. The lack of privacy that is inevitable in two-person rooms drove me insane.

Some will say that sharing a room with another person is a good way to get to know people. I disagree.

If someone wanted to meet people, they could just join a campus club that interested them -- like I did -- or just hang out in the lounge or on the balcony -- which I did -- or work at the front desk of the dorm buildings -- which I also did.

But sharing a room forces people into paranoid about putting up with roommates who don't share the same values or habits.

Sharing a room forces people to be paranoid about not doing certain private things just to avoid stupid and intrusive questions.

Sharing a room forces people to hide parts of themselves to avoid conflict. Being in that situation isn't a healthy way of meeting people.

Some say that having one-person rooms will cause some to be reclusive and miss out on socializing.

So what? Let' em! That's their lives, not yours! If someone regrets not socializing enough in college
, that's their problem, not yours!

But no one should be put into a situation of 1) long commutes; 2) staying home with family members one doesn't get along with; or 3) give up all privacy to live in the dorms just to avoid a time-wasting commute!