One of the many adjustments students have to make when coming to college is learning to live with someone other than their parents.

Although many students get along well with their roommates, the situation is not always perfect. Enter six people, thrown together by chance, living in the residence halls at NIU.

Tony Madl, an undecided major, and Jeff Schwartz, a computer science major, are sophomores at NIU who have roomed together for 1 1/2 years.

“The majority of time we get along but on those days, well, which happen to be everyday, the Sega Genesis is on and the whole floor is in my room, and I’m not a happy camper,” Madl said. “When I come home from class, I have to thumb through the riff raff to get to a comfy place where I can cheese after a long day.”

“I feel bad because I monopolize the room,” Schwartz said. “But even when there’s no one in here, he goes someplace else to study, like I have a contagious rash or something.”

As always, there are things the other does that are annoying.

“Jeff has a tendency when talking on the phone to talk very loudly and pace as if his wife was expecting a child,” Madl said.

“For some reason, Tony sets his alarm extra early—at 5 in the morning,” Schwartz said. “When that wakes me up, I’m bitter.”

“It tricks my system into thinking I’m getting two more hours of sleep,” Madl said.

Beth Wonsil and Heather Wronowski, both sophomore pre-business majors, have lived together for 1 1/2 years.

“We went to high school together, and we still get along,” said Wonsil.

“We get along so well because we both like naked men,” Wronowski said. “Beth has them all over her wall.”

“Hey, they have some clothes on,” Wonsil said.

Wronowski is a very heavy sleeper, and that led to a problem once. “One night we were sleeping and I got up to get a drink of water, and when I came back the door was locked,” Wonsil said. “She wouldn’t wake up. I called six times, banged on the door, yelled. Nothing worked, so I had to sleep in someone else’s room.”

Their room is a bit messy. “She’s sloppier than I am this semester,” Wronowski said. “But neither of us really clean the room too much.”

Al D’Ambrosio and Dave Novak, both sophomores, have been living together for a semester. Although they said they get along, they had a lot of complaints.

“Yes, I get along with him as long as he’s not with girls in the room and is kicking me out,” Novak said.

“Lack of shower—bottom line,” D’Ambrosio said. “The boy just doesn’t clean himself.”

“He always says he’ll never cheat on his girlfriend again and then he goes and does it,” Novak said. “He wears his St. John’s pajamas all over the place. And he has an infatuation with trying to kick my a— after he comes home from lifting.”

“He’s always telling me stories that have no relevance to anything, like fishing and football,” D’Ambrosio said.

“It’s really disgusting in the morning when I look over and he has big puddles of drool on his pillow,” Novak said.

Maybe Michaus Williams, a sophomore pre-business major, has the best roommate of all. “I’ve got the perfect roommate,” he said. “He doesn’t come home late, bug me, nothing. I live alone.”