Sharing a TV in Dorm "Apartment Style" Living Room...?

Student Lounge College Life
1

I have a TV that I was lucky enough to be given when my dad decided to upgrade to a nicer one for himself. Its a medium-sized flat screen Samsung…maybe like 35-40 in? Not quite sure.

However, I am feeling reluctant about putting it in the shared middle area/living room of our apartment style dorms next year. I will be a sophmore and living with a friend I met this year, my current roommate, and a random fourth person in singles. I trust the first two girls, but I won’t know the fourth or the type of people she will hang out with (while I know the other two have very few friends here and are generally respectful of my stuff).

I’m kinda nervous since its very light and rather nice (not like a really cheap old TV) that it could easily be carried out of the room and stolen by people I don’t know who come to our apartment or broken if we get a rowdy suitemate with friends who like to drink or party or just don’t respect others stuff. I’m nervous mostly because my current suitemates bring over people who have absolutely no respect for other people’s stuff or general living area. They bring over guys that walk around bare foot and put their feet on our coffee table, eat all our shared food, leave the toilet seat up, act loud and rambunctious, and borrow our appliances without asking (which happened to my water heater…just was randomly taken then returned. We have talked to our suitemates and there have been some changes but they still have friends who I honestly just don’t trust. I am worried that we could get a fourth person like this next year since we don’t know anyone to be our fourth person.

I would just keep it in my single room but I feel a little guilty because we originally were planning to get an apartment off campus and I said I’d bring the shared TV, but that was when it was just us and not someone I didn’t know/not on campus with easy access from a lot of other students. I don’t want to seem stingy or selfish by hording the TV to myself when my friend doesn’t have one/can’t afford one and my current roomie only has a tiny, cheap one that’s barely bigger than a laptop but which she still shared with me this year when I didn’t have one.

What do you think I should do with the TV? Leaving it at home isn’t an option. Should I put it in the living room and hope for the best or keep it in my room?

2

Do people even watch TV any more? They will all have their own 'puters. It has no value to anyone but you. do what you like, but it will be a PITA in your bedroom. Do you get free cable etc at college?

3

Well it’s mostly for Netflix except for a show here or there. There is free cable and my roommate watches TV also.

Also, it might be used for my 360/PS3

4

I would start with it in my room. If anyone asks, then say that you want to see how well all the suitemates treat common items, how their friends do and how often they remember to keep the door secured. Once you feel comfortable you will be happy to put the TV in the shared area.

5

Almost all instances of apartment style dorms (and regular dorms) involve someone bringing in a TV. I’ve never heard of anyone’s being stolen (TVs are too large for their sell value). Does your school have robberies more often than most? If not, then I wouldn’t worry so much about it.

If that isn’t any consolation, then I suggest what bopper says. Except when people ask you why you have it in there then say that it’s because you like watching TV in bed. I think a lot of people would be offended if you told them that you want to see how they treat common items before you trust them.