Problem
Chris, Mike, and John are students in the same residence hall at the University of Calgary. Mike and John are roommates while Chris has a single room next to them. There have been some problems between Chris and Mike and John over what is an acceptable level of activity and noise. Mike and John hold frequent meetings in their room. Last week, Chris and some of his friends called the campus police because Chris found it difficult to concentrate because of a meeting being held in Mike and John's room. After the campus police confronted them and asked them to "keep it down", Mike, John, and their guests were furious and went to Chris' room and angry, accusatory words were exchanged. The head of the residence was alerted and after an hour, she was able to quiet things down. Since these problems seemed to have gone on for some time, the residence manager referred Chris, Mike, and John to the mediation program.
• Is mediation appropriate in this situation? Why or why not?
• What would be a good mediated outcome in your opinion?