College Tip #761

When you’re concerned about your child not feeling safe with their roommate.

I just sent a direct message to a concerned parent about their child who's living in a residence hall and feels unsafe with their roommate and the school's not doing enough. And in this situation, you go to the top, you document and call. This is true of any situation where you're not getting the results and attention you need.

You document, you send an email. and you call. You talk to the director of the residence halls. You talk to the VP of Student Affairs. You talk to whoever the director reports to. And you have the student do this and you have the parent do this. You gotta make sure that the student makes it clear that the parent can advocate on their behalf because sometimes FERPA can keep a school from acknowledging parents.

So you have the student do this as well. You document, you call, and you get results. It's unfortunate that this is what you need to do. But this is how you get people to respond.

About Harlan: Harlan Cohen is a New York Times bestselling author of the #1 book on college life (The Naked Roommate). He is the creator of Best First Year, a College Success and Coaching Program for Students & Parents. His video tips and advice reach millions of students and parents  on social media.  Tap to Follow Harlan.