Moving in...

Sharing more than just apartment space

Kadie Sharp SHA04007@BYUI.EDU Lifestyle Asst. Editor

Sharing is caring. But is sharing everything at college?

All of the roommates have moved in and introductions have been made. Then comes the moment of deciding how to organize and use the limited space available for everyone’s stuff.

In some apartments it’s first come, first serve.

“Allison gets all the walls because she keeps buying stuff to put on the walls,” said Ariane Vipperman, a junior from Twin Falls, Idaho, about her roommate Allison Marshall, a junior from Machias, Maine.

Roommates usually share more than just space. While most apartments decide to share items such as dishes and cleaning supplies, the real dispute is whether to share food and personal items.

“We do some sharing like community food. The food that no one wants to claim so anyone can have it,” said Mitch Kirkham, a senior from Yuma, Ariz.

Some personal items may be known as fair game, but people think it is considerate for roommates to ask each other if they will share certain items.

“For stuff like curling irons, we just use them,” Vipperman said. “But to borrow clothes, we ask.”

However, asking permission or not may not be the question. Some roommates decide to mark all of their stuff with their initials in permanent marker to fend off any sharing.

“If they’re not sharing, I don’t care because that’s their choice,” Kirkham said. “But then you’re less inclined to share with them.”

It is not unlikely to see some roommates take more than they share throughout the semester also.

“Generally, I don’t care if a roommate is not sharing,” said Julia Arenaz, a junior from Idaho Falls. “The only thing that bothers me is not sharing chores equally.”

This lack of caring in the act of sharing may cause tension in the apartment. Learning how to share may sound like a skill worked on in preschool, but the skill may help the apartment atmosphere.

“When you have good dynamics in the apartment, everything is fine,” Marshall said. “If something is said [about not sharing], we compromise. That’s the key.”