roommate

The third week of the semester is almost over: you're getting into the swing of your classes, your schedule, your internship, but alas—for some unlucky few—not your roommate. Why's it always so awky in the room? Why can't you keep up a conversation? Why did they skewer your goldfish when you were out on a date with the hot guy on the floor below? It looks like you've got a case of roommate hate (or as the experts call it, 'Mate Hate), but don't worry—it's easy to fix. All you gotta do is recognize your faults (with the help of our trusty, extensive diagnostic checklist), then change who you are as a human being to please another human being.

Can guys and girls live together without children and a ring to keep them together?** At the national level, the numbers do not paint a rosy picture of marital bliss. But what if you're an upperclassman at Columbia living in a double with a member of the opposite sex? The numbers aren't conclusive, but a cursory glance seems to suggest that things have generally been working out. As Tracey Wang reports in today's paper, the open housing program (which is open to all upperclassmen) for the 2012-2013 academic year has been progressing without any significant hitches: