In my line of work specifically with students, there’s like single bedrooms and shared bedrooms. And sometimes those shareds are called doubles and no matter which way you put it people just don’t seem to understand what it means. And so when you say, “This is a shared bedroom,” they’re like, “Oh so they have like four roommates in the suite, but they’ll have their own bedroom.” “Nope, it’s a shared bedroom.” And they’ll be like “Well, well, I don’t understand, like, we thought they were all singles.” And I said, “Well no, if you look at the title, it says double. It’s a double shared, like two people.” And it’s like these words just mean nothing, um, and it causes a lot of havoc. And so when I was saying earlier like when they get here that’s more stressful than when they’re leaving. It’s honestly because they just don’t read and if they do read they still don’t try to understand what they’re reading.
Another student, she’s currently in a double shared space. Her roommate is leaving and she wanted to buy it out as a single, which we do allow. So I said “Sure I’ll do it.” And she responds back, “Okay, so since now it is a single I would assume you’re gonna take out the furniture.” And I said, “Nope. It’s still a double space. We’re just letting you buy it out financially as a single so that we won’t put anybody in the second bed.” “Right but you’re gonna take away the furniture.” “Nope. Our website says that all doubles remain doubles, you know, sometimes you have the option to buy out, but if you don’t take the option or if the option is not offered to you, you’ll get a roommate. Like the furniture has to stay.” And she went around and around with me that just bec- — like if she’s paying a single price, she expects a single room, and I said, “Well, you’re not in a single room technically. You’re in a double. I’m just letting you buy it out so that you don’t have to share it.” And so buy out was also a very confusing thought process for her.
Her dad got it, which was really fun. He understood the entire thought process that we have like moving all the furniture out for people that buy out doubles to then move it back in for the summer is just impossible. So he was really helpful. Um, but I don’t know. Maybe this is the wrong way I’m thinking about it, but a lot of times I just feel like people hear what they wanna hear with those words and they don’t mean anything. Double and shared to them, just one person right? No, double, shared, two at least.