10C
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
APARTMENT GUIDE
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2005
It could happen to you...
Broken toilets. Dead animals. Random salesmen. These can either be horrible or ordinary occurrences, depending on what constitutes "ordinary." In the spirit of Teen Magazine's monthly "Why Me?" section, here are a handful of KU students college life horror stories.
Josh Oaks, Horton sophomore, was having a party in his apartment when an intoxicated female guest flushed her cell phone down the toilet.
cell phone down The maintenance staff recovered the ruined cell phone, but the toilet was permanently broken.
Oaks said the worst part of the ordeal was not the $120 he was charged for the new toilet but that the waterlogged phone was left in the bathtub for him to throw out.
One night in February, Andy Nissen, Hutchinson, Minn. sophomore, found a dead snake on his kitchen floor.
take on his kitchen table.
The snake was about 5 inches long, but it disturbed him that it was inside his apartment, especially during the winter.
"I don't know how you find a snake in February," he said.
Last year Kendall Dix, Prairie Village senior and Kansan copy editor, lived in a house on Ohio Street with eight roommates. One night, his simian roommate got so drunk he karate-kicked out the triple-paned glass of the house's front door.
"I don't think the guy could have gotten his foot that high ever again — even if he was sober," Dix said. A trash bag covered the door for weeks.
A carpet-cleaning product salesman took his act inside when he used his product in the apartment of Jake Hirsekorn, Lenexa sophomore.
"Of course, the baboon's leg didn't even sustain a scratch," Dix said.
The salesman walked in after Hirsekorn opened the door.
"We didn't invite him in or anything," he said.
Illustration by Scott Drummond/KANSAN
Hirsekorn said the man thought the demonstration would convince the students to buy the product. Instead, he left a disturbed and puzzled tenant, skeptical of the salesman who had just cleaned his carpet.
Girl Scouts are expected to show up at the front door with cookies in hand. Older men are not. Ahmad Al-Gibaly, Lawrence sophomore, said a man about 50 years old, showed up at his apartment and tried to sell him cookies.
Scott Kvasnik, New Hope, Minn., junior and member of the Kansan advertising staff, was planning to live this year with his best friend, who he'd known since eighth grade. But three days out, the roommate called Kvasnik to say, "By the way, I'm not coming to school, I won't pay rent and I won't pay utilities."
Anja Winikka, Overland Park senior and Jayply writer, didn't face just the threat of being sued — she went as far as representing herself in small claims court.
Kvasnik said his landlord could still decide to sue, because Kvasnik and his almost-roommate didn't live up to the contract they signed.
Almost a year after living in a two-bedroom apartment with a friend, Winikka received a notice in the mail that the former roommate was suing her for abandoning her lease. Winikka consulted Legal Services for Students and made sure all her legal bases were covered. The two went to court, and though Winikka had done nothing wrong legally, the judge split the difference of the suit between the roommates.
BY LATOVA BROWN correspondent@kansan.com KANSAN CORRESPONDENT
— Compiled by Catherine Odson
Roommate issues: Solved
College is an important stage in life. The experience of living on your own, meeting new people, finding a career path and graduating are major highlights of college life, but finding a good roommate can be one of the more important aspects.
Unfortunately, many KU students, have had experiences.
dents have had lab. The University of Kansas Student Housing Department placed about 5,000 students in the residence halls and Jayhawker Towers this school year. Eric Grospitch, assistant director of Residence Life at the University of Kansas, has seen many positive and negative roommate experiences on campus.
"The main reason some roommates disagree with one another is because of cleanliness," said Grospitch.
"This year my roommate does not clean that much; she only cleans the dishes with a sponge and with no soap."
Nicole Thomas, Kansas City, Kan., senior and Jayhawker Towers resident, can relate.
The Student Housing
requests, Grosspeter said. To eliminate friction between roommates, student housing makes each roommate sign a roommate contract. The terms of the contract is drawn up by the roommates. If there is an argument between the roommates a resident hall assistant will pull the contract out, show it to the roommates and try to mediate the problem. If problems continue, the roommates may be moved to another room or given new roommates.
Department chooses roommates randomly. The department does take roommate requests and even tries to accommodate late requests, Grospitch said.
"We thought that being best friends and roommates would be a blast, and it was for awhile," Miles said. "But over time, especially in college, people change and grow apart."
Rachael Miles, Lawrence junior, neede mediation with her former roommate. Miles said that she and the roommate had been best friends since seventh grade.
and grow taller.
She said that her roommate's boyfriend came between the two. He ate, slept, and showered at their place without paying rent or utilities, Miles said.
"I told her he could stay if he
put some money on rent, utilities and groceries," she said. "She really got mad at me and stopped talking to me."
gaped talking to her.
The last straw for Miles came when she went to study abroad in Mexico. Her then-roommate stole her deposit check while she was away. She took Miles' half because she thought that Miles should have paid half of the utilities when she was gone, Miles said.
she was gone, "I'm still angry about the money situation, but I'm glad that I saw her true side, and I couldn't be happier that our friendship is over," Miles said.
Grosspitch advises students to room with long-time friends if they feel that their friendship can live through rough and changing times.
changing times.
"Being a roommate with a close friend can be stressful and difficult, but it all depends on how close they are, and in some cases it works out for the best," Grospitch said.
When looking for a good roommate one should look for someone who is compatible, has a sense of humor and is easy to communicate with, said Grospitch.
Edited by Lisa Coble-Krin
Compiled by LaToya Brown hill
"My freshman year, one of my three room-mates did laundry almost every day, and she would put her clothes in the dryer on no
heat. She was in architecture so she was never home, but her clothes were always in the dryer, making me wait to do mine."
"My roommate is really lazy, and she's kind of rubbed
Katie DeCelles
Olathe sophomore
off on me — we watch a lot of TV."
Mary Melton
Leavenworth freshman
What's the worst experience you've had with a roommate?
"My roommate had a really crazy night one night, and when I got home there were four pizzas, all half
eaten, on the floor. In my room, I found several pieces in my bed. When I went looking for him, I found him eating pizza off the floor.” Denny Alfonsin Overland Park freshman
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