Emman Khan, speaker of the Senate, hits her gavel during a Student Senate meeting Oct. 27 in the Student Government Chambers. The Senate approved Resolution 26-06, “Match Made at UTA,” to improve the roommate pairing process.
The Student Senate on Tuesday approved a new resolution addressing compatibility concerns with the current roommate pairing process at UTA.
Resolution 26-06, “Match Made At UTA,” states that roommate compatibility plays a significant role in student success, mental health and overall campus experience.
The process relies primarily on basic preferences and does not always account for lifestyle habits, communication styles or conflict resolution, according to the resolution.
If implemented, the resolution will add more detailed compatibility questions, including but not limited to ones about seasonal allergies, pet allergies, dietary restrictions, food preferences, light sensitivity, room temperature and hobbies, according to the resolution.
Jaysen Johnson, chair for community affairs and senator for the College of Liberal Arts, authored the resolution. He said the idea for the resolution came from hearing about people’s personal experiences with bad roommates. He also said the questionnaire has not changed in his three years at UTA.
Student Government members hold a discussion during a Student Senate meeting Oct. 27 in the Student Government Chambers. Senators reviewed Resolution 26-19, “Light Our Way,” which states that some walkways on campus have few to no light poles.
“There hasn’t been any improvement,” Johnson said. “It’s a system that could be improved.”
Emman Khan, speaker of the Senate, said she made good friends when she lived in a dorm, so she knows firsthand how important it is.
“I hope that it allows people to find lifelong friends within dorming,” she said.
The resolution was originally considered in March, but some issues delayed the eventual approval.
Though the resolution precedes her, Student Governance coordinator Destiny Aladeyelu said there are legal requirements for what can and can’t be asked on a housing agreement or roommate form, which has to be considered in the resolution.
Roberto Sok, chair of the Student Affairs committee, reads a resolution during a Student Senate meeting Oct. 27 in the Student Government Chambers. Resolution 26-17, “Great News for the Unemployed,” requests for the Career Development Center to change its company outreach.
The Senate also introduced three new resolutions.
Resolution 26-17, “Great News for the Unemployed,” aims to have the Career Development Center change its company outreach to include a more diverse range of companies and industries that reflect the employment needs of students.
Resolution 26-18, “P.A.T.H. (Policy for Academic Transparency and Honesty),” wants to mandate that teaching faculty members produce an academic report for all students before census day and by the last day to drop classes. This is to help students struggling to decide if they need to drop a course.
Resolution 26-19, “Light Our Way,” asked UTA to add more lighting around campus so that students have visual clarity and safety while walking at night.
Some of the locations mentioned during deliberation of the resolution include between Nedderman Hall and Woolf Hall and west of the CAPPA North building.