Academic difficulty
Is your roommate sleeping
through classes? Does she put homework aside whenever a social
opportunity arises? Or is she obsessed with grades, getting very upset
if she does poorly on a project? You can encourage her and point things
out yet, your campus learning assistance center, advisors, and others
may be better equipped to help solve these academic difficulties.
Struggling with alcohol or drugs
You may have
noticed your roommate coming in late on multiple occasions. Does she
hang out with a new set of friends? Has she become more promiscuous?
Does she appear to be in an altered state at different times during the
day? Have you seen alcohol or other drug paraphernalia in the room? It
is tough thinking about "turning in" your own roommate. One approach is
to go to her with your concerns. This allows her to make the choice. If
she's addicted, however, your words may be falling on deaf ears. Ask
the counseling center, the residence life staff or health services for
advice.
Depression
Does your roommate sleep a lot
during the day? Has she dropped some of her friends and involvements?
Does she cry frequently? Has she made mention of harming herself? These
and other symptoms may be signs of depression. You are way out of your
league here and trying to take on the problems of a depressed roommate
not only prevents her from getting adequate care, it also drags you
down. Appeal to residence life personnel and the counseling center for
help. You can't do this on your own!
Family issues
Does your roommate dread going
home during breaks? Has she confided in you about family abuse? Do you
overhear fights on the phone? It can be easy to get entrenched in your
roommate's family difficulties and attempting to do so will make things
worse for everyone involved, including yourself! Consult with residence
life staff and the counseling center for assistance. And don't ever
call your roommate's family in an attempt to "fix" things-this is
definitely overstepping your boundaries.