Room change numbers are slightly lower than last year, according to Jim Pappenhagen, associate director of University Housing.

Since last February, Housing recorded 113 room changes and has processed only 40 since the beginning of the semester.

“Our room change numbers are relatively low considering the number of students,” Pappenhagen said. “Almost 8,000 undergraduate students live on campus.”

Pappenhagen said students may go online or go directly to the Housing office to complete a room change form. Once a student’s name is on the list, he or she is asked to contact resident directors for a mediation session.

He said sometimes issues are easily resolved by talking to a neutral party.

Michael Altman, a freshman in engineering, said he avoided a room change because of the work involved.

“I’ve known a couple of people who have made room changes and it seems like a lot of paperwork,” Altman said. “Then people have to find your new room. With finals and the end of the semester, it just seems like too much work.”

Altman said Housing should arrange a mediation session the second or third week of school to help resolve roommate problems before they progress.

“Within the first week, you are still trying to get to know your roommate, but by the end of the second or third week, you pretty much know their habits,” he said. “They should bring in a neutral party early in the year to give students a chance to discuss any problems.”

Kaycie Davis, a freshman in First Year College, said she has already been through a room change since arriving at the University in August. She lives in University Towers, which the University does not operate.

“The roommate change sounded stressful at first,” Davis said. “University Towers told me I had to go through a ‘mediation’ session before they would allow us to switch roommates. It sounded really inconvenient, but because it was necessary, they allowed us to switch when we wanted to.”

Pappenhagen, Altman and Davis all said the reasoning behind room changes differs depending on the individual.

“Most are students trying to get together with friends that they couldn’t room with before,” he said. “Others are canceling due to graduation or transferring. Then other times, it’s a matter of disagreeing about guests, bedtime differences or sharing your belongings.”

Housing typically tries to avoid rooming problems at the beginning of the year by having students complete a preference form with their housing applications.

The form includes likes and dislikes and individual’s opinions on topics such as sharing, smoking and preferred bedtime.

Altman said the preference sheet is really helpful.

“The preference sheet really narrows things down,” he said. “I got pretty much everything I asked for in a roommate as far as the sheet goes. Sometimes people just have clashing personalities.”

Davis said the pairing of roommates based on preference sheets and in general is somewhat unpredictable.

“Some people room with their best friends and stay best friends forever, others do not,” Davis said. “Some people room with complete strangers and get along great, and others do not.”