University of Miami - Ibis Yearbook (Coral Gables, FL)

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r Carol Muklewicz joins her roommate and the rest of the band during a halftime show. 20 Roommates

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r L Photos by Rhona Wise Living With a Rooipipate Coping With A Friend L College life means coping with a roommate for many people. Sometimes it ' s like gaining another member of the family. In the worst cases, trying to toler- ate a roommate becomes like prolonged trench warfare. Fortunately, most rela- tionships fall somewhere between these extremes and there is no doubt that such close living arrangements may have more impact on you and your fu- ture than money or the classes you will take. Here on campus, the community at- mosphere sometimes leaves residents feeling claustrophobic. However, there are two young women who find that sharing living quarters has done every- thing to enhance the time they have spent at college. Suzanne Watson and Carol Muklewicz have known each other since they were freshmen and have been roommates for the past two years. Suzanne, a 21-year-old senior major- ing in journalism, said she was enthusi- astic about having a roommate. I had a single for the first two years and it was good to have a roommate, she said. Carol, also 21, is majoring in music education. She was glad to have Su- zanne as a roommate after two years of tolerating difficult roommates. I lived in Eaton and we put the beds in one room and the furniture in another to cre- ate a separate living area, Carol said. The problem was that there was no pri- vacy and a lot of roommates. The pair attribute their success as partners to each other, and not as much to being prepared to share living quar- ters by their home environments. This is the first time ever that I ' ve had a roommate. I ' ve always had a room of my own, said Suzanne. The same applies to Carol, but there is no evi- The two roommates discuss important events of Tau Beta Sigma. Roommates 19

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dence of culture shock from sharing space. From my past roommate prob- lems, I knew what to do and what not to do, Carol said. It takes a lot of adjust- ments to make rooming successful. Consideration for the other plays a big part. Carol is really considerate and we work so hard to keep from stepping on each other ' s toes, Suzanne said. Consideration extends to the han- dling of delicate etiquette situations, such as entertaining visitors of the op- posite sex. The path is tricky and strewn with embarrassing blunders. Carol and Suzanne have developed a system where if one has a guest, the other will call first before coming home or make a lot of noise in the hall on her way to the room. Thank goodness I ' ve got loud keys, laughs Carol. Personality conflicts are a major source of dissension between room- mates, but when two people click, it en- sures a cohesive environment that can only make a challenging academic life easier. When asked to tell what they liked most about each other, Carol and Suzanne thought for a moment. Su- zanne said the thing she appreciated most about Carol is that she could make her laugh. She ' s also the most consid- erate, kindest, unselfish person I know. She ' s the person I admire the most. Carol summed up what made Su- zanne a great person to live with. She ' s not just a petite flower of a female. We ' re both pretty aggressive people and I can ' t deal with the delicate type. The only negative press that Carol gives Suzanne is that she smokes in the room. Suzanne could not think of any- thing that detracts from Carol. Carol doesn ' t smoke so there ' s nothing. Su- zanne smiles. With all the time spent together, roommates usually pursue opposite di- rections in extracurricular activities. But once again Carol and Suzanne share an interest — the Band of the Hour. Carol, the band captain, ranks above Suzanne, who is a section leader. They are both careful to limit the competition to band involvement. According to Suzanne, We ' re really roommates first and fore- most. On the rare occasions when some- thing that one does irritates the other, it ' s quickly resolved. Usually, if some- thing is wrong, we joke about it and the other one will get the message, Carol said. To sum up their time together as roommates, Suzanne smiles and is the first to say, It ' s great. If we were still here (next year), I ' d want the same ar- rangement. Carol is quick to agree. I can ' t imag- ine not being roommates with her, she said. It ' s going to be strange moving out. TEXT BY: MONTRESE HAMILTON Spending time in ttieir room are Suzanne Watson and Carol Muklewicz. Roommates 21