What is your opinion on.....

[SPOILEDkiwi]

Universities granting roomate change requests on the basis of race, religion, or sexual preference??

The majority opinion seems to be that it facilitates discrimination, and that it's important for students to learn to live with different types of people. This is why 99% of universities don't do it, and as an alternative, residence hall faculty will try to get the two students to "work out their differences".

I completely disagree with this. If a student doesn't want to live with someone that is of another race or sexual orientation, why should they be forced to stay in a situation that they don't want to be in. It makes it extremely difficult for the other peson too, knowing that their roomate is racist or homophobic. I have a friend who is Chinese, and her freshman year she got stuck with someone who was openly racist and would constantly harass her with ethnic slurs. Campus housing wouldn't honor a room change request because it wasnt considered a serious problem! In the real world, we all have a choice as to who we live with. It baffles me that schools expect everyone to get along like this is some sort of Utopia. Are these schools waiting until someone reports a hate crime commited against them by their roomate? They could easily prevent a lot of problems by just letting people live with who they are comfortable with. I understand it makes the school look like it's condoning discrimination, but they need to put their students' safety and well being first.

 

[Kiss Me Deadly]

I have no problem with it. I mean it would be unforunate if you didnt want to room with someone because of thos superficial reasons. But if there is going to be hate and discrimination, then there should definitely be a chance for a room change

 

[madamefifi]

I don't understand why one couldn't simply say "Irreconcilable differences" when requesting a room-mate change and leave it at that? It's making a student admit that they don't want to room with X because he/she is Chinese, gay, whatever, that fosters discrimination. Let's face it, forcing someone to stay with a room-mate they don't like, for whatever reason, is not going to change how they think. In fact it may make them more prejudiced instead of less.

 

[LavenderRose]

I don't understand why one couldn't simply say "Irreconcilable differences" when requesting a room-mate change and leave it at that? It's making a student admit that they don't want to room with X because he/she is Chinese, gay, whatever, that fosters discrimination. Let's face it, forcing someone to stay with a room-mate they don't like, for whatever reason, is not going to change how they think. In fact it may make them more prejudiced instead of less.

I agree. I find it shady if a university asks you to be specific; it almost looks like they're doing a social research that you would hear about in a psychology class 10 years from now.

However, colleges pretty much ALWAYS match up people of the same races together (white with white, Hispanic with Hispanic, etc.) unless there is an odd number of people from a certain race.

 

[SPOILEDkiwi]

I don't understand why one couldn't simply say "Irreconcilable differences" when requesting a room-mate change and leave it at that? It's making a student admit that they don't want to room with X because he/she is Chinese, gay, whatever, that fosters discrimination. Let's face it, forcing someone to stay with a room-mate they don't like, for whatever reason, is not going to change how they think. In fact it may make them more prejudiced instead of less.

Colleges want you to be as specific as possible because as a first resort, they will try to have their residence assistants sit down with you and talk it out. This is so stupid because it leads to more problems. Freshman year I tried to get a room change because my suitemate threatened to throw me off our balcony b/c she found a strand of my hair in the shower. They made us sit down and talk, and it was a very uncomfortable situation. They didn't give me the room change, and for months i was afraid of running into her in my suite. Colleges will do anything to save themselves the paperwork of a room change.

However, colleges pretty much ALWAYS match up people of the same races together (white with white, Hispanic with Hispanic, etc.) unless there is an odd number of people from a certain race.

I guess every school is different. At my school, it's pretty diverse but the only students that were matched with their own race were white students b/c they're the majority.

 

[gr8heart]

I wonder if it is more of a problem with bigger universities...I attended a small college where one had to fill out a long questionnaire about our personality, likes, dislikes, etc. They matched us up way before classes started and gave us the option to communicate with each other before we moved in. People did have to option to change roommates and it was tolerated.

That's scary that you^ had to tolerate an OCD roommate like that! That's not fair or good for your college experience. College/university is so ridiculously expensive, they should make every effort to make you happy.

 

[ShimmaPuff]

I am against discrimination. However, the nature of the roomate situation raises a very serious security issue.

Would you want your child to have a roomate who hated people of his or her particular ethnicity/sexual orientation/religion/nationality?

There is no telling what people with such wacko aversions are liable to do, history is a very good indicator that there's a good chance it will be something pretty unpleasant.

Will the educational institutions involved be assuming financial liability?

 

[madamefifi]

You have a good point, Shimma; perhaps after a couple of universities get sued by grieving parents because they refused to authorize room-mate change requests based on racism or homophobia, the policies will change. It's a shame that that is what it may take.