Severalrecentstudieshavefoundthatbeingrandomly(随机地)assignedtoaroommateofanotherracecanleadtoincreasedtolerancebutalsotoagreaterlikelihood(可能性)ofconflict.
Recentreportsfoundthatlodgingwithastudentofadifferentracemaydecreaseprejudiceandforcestudentstoengageinmoreethnicallydiversefriendships.
AnOhioStateUniversitystudyalsofoundthatblackstudentslivingwithawhiteroommatesawhigheracademicsuccessthroughouttheircollegecareers.Researchersbelievethismaybecausedbysocialpressure.
InaNewYorkTimesarticleSamBoakye–theonlyblackstudentonhisfreshmanyearfloor-saidthat"ifyou'resurroundedbywhitesyouhavesomethingtoprove."
Researchersalsoobservedproblemsresultingfrompairinginterracialstudentsinresidences.
Accordingtotworecentstudiesrandomlyassignedroommatesofdifferentracesaremorelikelytoexperienceconflictssostrainedthatoneroommatewillmoveout.
AnIndianaUniversitystudyfoundthatinterracialroommateswerethreetimesaslikelyastwowhiteroommatestonolongerlivetogetherbytheendofthesemester.
GraceKaoaprofessoratPennsaidshewasnotsurprisedbythefindings."Thismaybethefirsttimethatsomeofthesestudentshaveinteractedandlivedwithsomeoneofadifferentrace"shesaid.
AtPennstudentsarenotaskedtoindicateracewhenapplyingforhousing.
"Oneofthegreatthingsaboutfreshmanhousingisthatwithsomeexceptionstheprocessthrowsyoutogetherrandomly"saidUndergraduateAssemblychairmanAlecWebley."Thisisthedefinitionofintegration."
"I'veexperiencedroommateconflictsbetweeninterracialstudentsthathavebothbrokendownstereotypes(模式化形象)andstrengthenedstereotypes"saidonePennresidentadvisor(RA).TheRAoftwoyearsaddedthatwhilesomeconflicts"providedmoremulticulturalacceptanceandmelding(融合)"therewerealso"jarringculturalresistance."
TheRAsaidthattheseconflictshavealsooccurredamongroommatesofthesamerace.
Kaosaidshecautionsagainstforminganygeneralizationsbasedonanyoneofthestudiesnotingthatmorebackgroundcharacteristicsofthestudentsneedtobestudiedande