Making the most of living in your new on-campus community starts with getting to know your roommate. Develop a roadmap to discuss your expectations while sharing a room, resolve conflicts if they arise and ensure each individual’s rights are respected. Talking about concerns before they develop into conflict and being willing to compromise help to pave the way for successful relationships.
Roommate Agreement/Suite Agreements
Roommates will work together to complete a Roommate Agreement during the first week of classes. Please note that the BEST time to do this is BEFORE you have any conflict with your roommates or suitemates. These agreements serve as a conversational starting point and should be revisited frequently as relationships with your roommate grow. Roommate Agreements are managed through Roompact with the support of your RA who can assist you in the process.
Room Changes
We want you to be engaged and comfortable in your home on campus. If you have tried to mediate your roommate concerns with the help of Res Life staff member(s), and still need to request a room change, contact your RD to initiate your room change process. If at anytime you are in danger or unsafe, please contact Pitt Police immediately.
Student Staff
Resident Assistants (RAs) lead their communities in upholding community standards and help residents get connected to their living community and the larger Pitt campus. Your RA can facilitate the roommate agreement conversation, build conflict management skills, and work to mediate conflict as needed.
Resident Directors are the professional staff members living in campus communities. Elevate your roommate concern to your RD if your attempts at mediation and conflict resolution were unsuccessful. Your RD can help facilitate difficult conversations with your roommate and can help you go through the room change process if needed.
Parent/Guardian Involvement
At Pitt we are focused on enhancing the student’s living and learning experience. To this end, we invite parents, guardians and family members to be partners in your student’s success on campus.
While a parent/guardian’s first reaction may be to ‘fix it’ for the student, remember problem solving is a life-long skill that reaches far beyond academia. As a parent/guardian, encourage your student to resolve problems by using the on-campus resources available to them both Residence Life and beyond.
If it feels that a situation warrants your involvement, please escalate it to our professional staff and contact the community’s professional in-hall staff member, the Resident Director (RD), rather than your student’s RA. Remember RAs are students too, have a lot on their plates, and are under no obligation to give out their personal cell phone numbers.