I don’t get it, Victoria- you’re so open-minded that you insist upon having a roommate with exactly the same opinions you?

i totally agree with the author that roommates should be paired based on schedule, life style and sexual orientation. the most difficult part of roommate life i found was the up late and up early concflict. the never ending striving to be a screaming drunk because they were finally out of their parents house was a close second. the author could have avoided the insults in the article but then she might be searching for an insulting roommate.

John, I have to disagree with you when you say “all parties involved need to grow up.” As far as I can tell, the only person who has displayed a need for greater maturity is the person who brought it to the internet in the first place, and that is the author of this article. I agree that this should not have made it to the internet (or the printed Flat Hat, for that matter!) but the only reason it did is because this article’s author for some reason felt the need to bring a personal disagreement to the attention of the entire campus – and blame her inability to adapt on ResLife! Yes, this is an Opinions column, but some opinions, such as those expressed in roommate disputes, really only need to be between the two people rooming together and possibly their RA or Head Resident. Her former roommate, as far as I can tell, has done nothing wrong other than wake up early because of her ROTC schedule, which hardly seems like a reason for her to be publicly condemned by a clearly bitter ex-roommate. As for the rest of the commenters, I feel that they have a right to express their incredulity that someone could be so insensitive and intolerant of others’ beliefs and schedules. There is only person in this whole matter who I see as “needing to grow up,” and that is the author of this article.

At the least, the phrase “contagiousness of diversity” was an extremely poor choice of words. (What does it even mean? Can you “catch” diversity like a disease?) At most, it reveals a deeper lack of tolerance, understanding, and flexibility in our “independent thinker” of an author.
It’s not clear whether the author meant to denigrate her former roommate by aligning her with Sarah Palin, but my guess is that she knew the reference would resonate with a majority of her audience in a negative fashion and win her some sympathy points. “Wow, how could you possibly survive sleeping in the same room for a few months with someone who thinks like Sarah Palin? The unbearable agony!”
The ideological disconnect between the author and her roommate is the author’s main complaint. Not that her roommate woke her up at 5 am sometimes, but that her roommate “believes and stands for everything the other despises.” I would have more sympathy with the author if she simply said “My roommate’s ROTC commitment necessitates her waking up very early. I am a light sleeper and the disruption of my sleep is effecting my school work. I think I need a new roommate.”
Instead, it’s that she literally cannot stand to be in the same room as someone who believes differently from her. She doesn’t say that her roommate constantly badgered her about politics or proselytized to her or said anything rude to her, it’s merely the difference of belief that is offensive to our “ultra-liberal” author.
I’m glad that our author (ostensibly Victoria, probably aided by Mr. and Mrs. Nadine) has found a more comfortable living arrangement. But I wonder if she might have learned much more from her former roommate. What is education except exposure to and rumination upon opinions different from our own?
Our author belittles this view of education by saying merely that “there’s nothing wrong with expanding personal views, [or] keeping an open mind.”
Sometimes expanding personal views and keeping an open mind is hard. Sometimes life isn’t fair. Sometimes you are awakened earlier than you wanted. Sometimes you can’t get what you want, but you get what you need…
Yes, sometimes real education is a little uncomfortable, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

I’m just writing to say that I know both of these girls and I can honestly say that I like both of them. Victoria’s article was not expressly written for the purpose of condemning her former roommate: it was supposed to be critical of the roommate process. I think that those who are personally invested in this matter should keep their comments to themselves because it has nothing to do with what she wrote. I think it’s wrong for people to attack her for who they think she is rather than what she wrote about. It’s rude and disrespectful and not what this comment box was intended for.

To Victoria’s Dormmate:

After reading your comment, it seems to me that you’re more than a little biased against Victoria. You can’t deny that placing two people with completely different political ideals in the same room will undoubtedly lead to some issues. Furthermore, unless you are actually Victoria’s former roommate, I fail to see how you or anyone can attack either of them. I can assure you that you don’t know the whole story behind their disagreements, unless you were placing your ear at the keyhole. Maybe you should stop letting your bias against Victoria influence your view on the matter.

And to the people who somehow view this article as a personal attack against the ROTC roommate, please do us all a favor and reread it. I don’t see how anything in this article can be seen as an attack. Just because Victoria mentioned that her ex-roommmate had “Sarah Palin ideals” doesn’t mean she’s insulting her for them. She was simply stating that she disagreed with her views.

I’d like to end this by stating that yes, I know both of the girls mentioned in the article, and yes, I like them both. There’s no need to get angry and start insulting either of them in this situation because frankly, you probably have no idea what you’re talking about.

There is an ROTC cadet on my floor in Nicholson. His roommate stays up all night and he goes to bed at 10:30 to get up for morning physical training. They don’t have any problems. That cadet is one of my favorite people on the floor and I would recommend other people to seek out ROTC cadets to befriend and room with, as they are valued members of the community. This cadet is possibly the greatest man I have met since I got here, and I consider him a close friend.

TO Alex – Did you read the article? Really? As you stated in bold letters OPINIONS – doesn’t that apply to anyone who wants to add their opinion? Or in your world does it only apply to those who share your opinion and that of the Victoria? Victoria wrote the article based on a personal difference. A writer that respects others differences and opinions (as Victoria states she does) would not have written an article in a tone that implicates the ex-roommate. Who are you to tell others not to express their opinions yet you are doing the same thing? And to top it off you had to add a political comment. You are no better –

How dare anyone attack Victoria Narine for her opinions. The lack of respect for the writer is obvious as commentors are attacking Victoria, not only for her article, but her personal beliefs and practices. Isn’t tolerance and respect what the commentators are asking Victoria to show? Maybe there should be a class called “Learning to Write Meaningful Comments on Bogs” 101, or perhaps “Showing respect” 101 or better yet “How to not be pretencious” 101 because if there is anything lacking at W&M, it is respect.

Also, as a side note, I know Victoria Narine on a very deep level and she WOULD write an article to speak her mind. What else would the free press be used for? Hypocrites.

As the mother of two female ROTC cadets, one currently a W&M student, I can understand how living with one may be challenging. Their course load is academically and physically demanding, atypical of even the most disciplined of college students. Their hours are definitely abnormal for the nocturnal collegiate lifestyle, and the amount of gear they require is tremendous. Multiple uniforms, thick boot socks, physical training gear and clunky, cumbersome boots have to be crammed into already too small closets and shoved under high-rise beds.

I think there should be some effort to pair them with fellow cadets, and give them bigger rooms to accomodate their equipment. My daughter and I took it upon ourselves to contact the local ROTC batallion at W&M and asked them to help us contact any other incoming female cadets in hopes that they could be paired up as roomates. She is currently rooming with a fellow cadet, and it appears to be working out well. We did this based on her older sister’s disagreeable experiences with non-ROTC roomates when she was a cadet at a different school. She never did get an understanding roomate and ended up in a single room her senior year. I agree with Victoria that the college should take a look at who they pair ROTC cadets with. The military lifestyle is not an easy one; being a young cadet in a new place with an unsupportive roomate must have been very hard on that cadet. I do wish her well in her pursuit of a commission in the Army, and thank her for her service.

You people need to stop being so butthurt and arguing over the internet about something that displeases you. It’s an OPINIONS article. Stop using the Flat Hat as the digital battleground for your personal differences. comment on the writing and the suggestions brought up, not because she hit home with her Sarah Palin remarks.

Victoria,

Sadly you have much to learn about how to treat people. I do have good news for you though, William & Mary does a good job of sheltering people like you from the real world for four years. I hope that your self-proclaimed “open mindedness” becomes a little more genuine over your remaining time at the College. Perhaps it would have done you some good to wake up at 5AM with your roommate and do some PT with her, just once. Afterwards you might have been a little more truly open minded and understanding. She also would have respected your much more. Just a thought.

Mission first, people always.

Victoria,
How can any self-respecting liberal be so vehemently against tolerance?
You are giving the rest of us liberals a bad name.

Wow, till reading these comments I didn’t realize that the writer was the ultra-liberal brat and that the roommate was the “intrusive” ROTC member. Why on earth does the writer feel the need to blast a personal disagreement across campus like this? Particularly making the identity of her old roommate obivous (“from the farms of Maryland with Sarah Palin ideals”) in as condescending a manner as possible.

Victoria, grow up and take care of your own dirty laundry next time.

Everyone who commented should be ashamed of themselves. I am Victoria’s current roommate and she is great. No one knows the true story of what happened between Victoria and her previous roommate so you should mind your own business. In addition, the purpose of the comments is to voice your opinions about the article not attack the author. The extreme language left in most of the comments were rude and unnecessary. Personally I agree with Victoria completely. She was not saying that we should completely reject differences or not try to get along. She was simply saying that the process could stand to be more accurate. When you are paired with someone completely opposite from you, you can try to make it work and it may be great, but sometimes the differences are too much. I am proud to be her roommate. We are not the same and we get along; this is the way the selection process should have went from the start!

Well said, Spencer. I live in the same dorm as Victoria, and believe me she seems to pride herself on her “passive open-mindedness.” She is so passively open-minded that she actually looked for the names and emails of two girls on her old floor to verbally assault their decision to display pro-life stickers in their windows, and asked their RA to get them removed. No doubt they will be the subject of a future column if the Flat hat allows it.
I can assure all the readers that her ex-roommate is one of the most kind and considerate girls on my hall, and that if there was a problem with one of the two of them, it was most definitely Victoria. There are much stranger roommate pairings on our hall and they have been able to get along for the most part, but most importantly, they tolerate each other- without placing the blame on the college’s random selection process. She needs to own up to the fact that it is her lack of tolerance that causes her displeasure with her peers and with the authority at this college. Until her attitude changes, the only roommate she will be happy with is no roommate at all.

The problem isn’t reslife, its you. You claim to be liberal minded and i’d bet the ranch you think you’re open minded. You are a textbook case of someone who is open to people…exactly like yourself. random roommate selection and the college experience in general is SUPPOSED to take you outside of your comfort zone, and force you to interact and deal with people different from yourself. Frankly, if you think a cadet from Maryland is really that much different than a “liberal minded person from Washington D.C” (thanks for that detail btw, we’re so impressed you’re from D.C.) then you really haven’t seen the world much. Also, consider your roommate. I’m fairly positive she did not want to intentionally wake you up or make you angry. I’m sure she didn’t even want to get up that early either. ROTC physical training is mandatory, not optional. And when she did wake you up, I’m sure you just rolled over and fell back asleep in 5 minutes. Life is too short to be pissed off all the time, and definitely too short to not get along with people. Relax, and stop blaming your problems on other people or institutions.

Spencer Sullivan
Class of 2010

Shame on the author for likening diversity to a “contagion.”

Shame on the Flat Hat Editorial Staff for allowing its venerable publication to be a forum for one student’s irrelevant bitterness.

bitter much?

I had new roommates every year, and if nothing else, it did make me a more flexible person. My philosophy was that College was the best time to live with a bunch of people, and discover what I could and could not live with – and figure out what drives the people I live with crazy – part of the self-exploration college is supposed to be about.

While the author believes that picking one’s roommate to match with personality quirks and political leanings will lead to better living arrangements, I have to disagree. My first semester of my sophomore year, I lived with someone I thought was a great friend, that participated in many of the same activities as me, and I had a lot in common with. Guess what – she was my WORST roommate. I took some time off from the College to work, and when I came back, I was paired up with that “most intrusive of roommates” – a girl in ROTC, who as it happens, was pretty high up in the chain of command, which means she had to be up before 5 AM several days a week. You know what? She was far more considerate and agreeable to live with than my “friend”.

I know you like to think everything at the College revolves around you, but the College does not owe you a perfectly matched roommate. The College owes you a chance to expand your horizons and obtain a great education. Turns out, a lot of the College’s education comes from outside the classroom walls, and learning to live and adapt to other people is something you clearly need to learn.

Your self-described attributes of being “a passive, independent thinker with ultra-liberal tendencies from the Washington, D.C. area” shows that despite being so great and openminded, you, like so many others, are intolerant of others – an irony that nevers ceases to amaze me. If nothing else, take from this experience that maybe, just maybe, you are not the greatest person to live with either, but your conservative, rural, ROTC cadet of a roommate is too well mannered and polite to tell you that.

I pity your future roomate(s).