<p>I'm a veteran poster, but have registered under a new name just for this post in order to keep D's identity under wraps. </p>
<p>D's roommate is an odd duck, the oddest, in fact. Let's call her Elsie. Elsie is completely antisocial, with no friends or even acquaintances, and literally--yes, literally-- leaves the room only to briefly eat (by herself), use the bathroom, and go to class. D tried to draw her out and include her in activities at the start of the year, but was rebuffed. Elsie says she doesn't like people, period. She is minimally communicative--she'll respond to a question, but she never initiates or pursues a conversation. When she isn't sleeping, she is at her computer, wearing headphones, and closed up in her own world, though she frequently talks loudly to herself, reacting to what's on her screen. D will come into the room at any time of the day or evening to find Elsie staring at the screen, headphones on, usually with the curtains drawn. (I experienced this myself several times during Parents Weekend, and I can't tell you how creepy it was.) Of course there's no way D will invite others into the room under these circumstances--it's just too weird and uncomfortable. The girl has not a single personal item in the room--no photos, posters, knickknacks, nothing. Her bed looks like an Army cot--plain sheets and a dark blanket, no bedspread or comforter, certainly no stuffed animals or decorative pillows. (D's side of the room is decorated nicely, not that anyone ever sees it.) This doesn't seem to be a poverty issue--her father is a physician. She appears to have no hobbies or interests other then the computer, though she does talk to her family, frequently and at length (via Skype, of course). Elsie doesn't seem to be ether happy or sad--she's just kind of there. I suspect she is somewhere on the autism spectrum, but who knows?</p>
<p>D has shown infinite patience with this situation and has insisted that she can deal with it, trying to spend as much time as possible elsewhere. For a while I tried to put the best light on things by pointing out all the other types of horrible roommate situations that were possible, compared to which hers didn't seem so bad. But once I got the full brunt of it all during Parents Weekend, I realized how incredibly depressing D's housing situation is. (She is given to modest anxiety and depression herself--adequately medicated for these, but I know she would thrive far better and be generally much happier living in a more positive environment.) D finally lost it a couple of weeks ago when she returned to the room upset about something that had transpired earlier and in need of a friendly face and kind word, or at least a little privacy, only to encounter Elsie in the dark blathering aloud to herself at the computer. D went to the RA in tears. He was quite cognizant of Elsie's oddness--the whole floor knows--and agreed to talk to her about allowing D some occasional privacy in her room. (She now on rare occasions will study in the library.) He also suggested D find some friends in a double and ask if she could triple up---that seems to be to be a terrible imposition, and D can't imagine putting friends on the spot that way.</p>
<p>Now (and thank you for your patience if you've stayed with me this long!) D has met a girl she likes, let's call her Molly, who is in the process of being de-tripled and is scheduled to move into an empty spot in a double. (Molly doesn't know her prospective new roommate at all and wasn't given the chance to select her.) D is trying to figure out if there is some way to get Elsie to take the open spot so Molly can move into D's room instead. I frankly can't imagine how this can be engineered. I'm sure Elsie doesn't care where she lives or with whom, but it's still hard to picture having that conversation. And then there's the obvious ethical issue of sticking the unknown girl with Elsie--though the girl has no clue or choice about who is going to move in anyway. D plans to present this idea to the RA and see what kind of reaction she gets.</p>
<p>So folks, what are your thoughts on this? Should D just grit her teeth and bear it for 6 more months? Is her proposed solution a mistake? Any clever ideas about how else she can improve her situation? Does the Housing Office owe her a less bizarre living situation? Right now I feel so bad for D, to say nothing of the fact that I feel like we deserve an Elsie discount on her room charges!</p>