<p>"Several recent studies, at Ohio State and elsewhere, have found that having a roommate of a different race can reduce prejudice, diversify friendships and even boost black students academic performance. But, the research found, such relationships are more stressful and more likely to break up than same-race pairings.</p>
<p>As universities have grown more diverse, and interracial roommate assignments are more common, social scientists have looked to them as natural field experiments that can provide insights on race relations....</p>
<p>Russell H. Fazio, an Ohio State psychology professor who has studied interracial roommates there and at Indiana University, discovered an intriguing academic effect. In a study analyzing data on thousands of Ohio State freshmen who lived in dorms, he found that black freshmen who came to college with high standardized test scores earned better grades if they had a white roommate even if the roommates test scores were low. The roommates race had no effect on the grades of white students or low-scoring black students. Perhaps, the study speculated, having a white roommate helps academically prepared black students adjust to a predominantly white university...."</p>
<p>My son’s high school was like the United Nations. I can truly say my son is ‘color blind’ when it comes to peoples skin color and/or nationality.</p>
<p>OTOH, my HS was nick named “ivory snow”, I think there were 2 black kids out of nearly 2K kids. I think that 30+ years later, that has changed significantly (average SAT scores have consistently gone down at this school as well over the past 30 years)</p>
<p>Does prejudice even really still exist in our generation (current college bound students)? I know that no person can be completely free of prejudice, but it seems to me like it’s not really a big deal among anyone that I know.</p>
<p>My son’s high school was like the United Nations. I can truly say my son is ‘color blind’ when it comes to peoples skin color and/or nationality.</p>
<p>OTOH, my HS was nick named “ivory snow”, I think there were 2 black kids out of nearly 2K kids. I think that 30+ years later, that has changed significantly (average SAT scores have consistently gone down at this school as well over the past 30 years)</p>
<p>–</p>
<p>So basically you think that as more black people went to your school the average SAT scores went down? Well at least your son isn’t prejudice.</p>
<p>I think the most important thing to note here is that “prejudice” is not an adjective, so nobody can be prejudice. Being prejudiced, though, is another thing.</p>
<p>I guess I can say i used to be pretty racist towards blacks (privately, I never expressed it publicly). But i’m going to have a black roommate this fall and we have gotten well aquainted (my first African American friend) through the Internet. I’m starting to accept everyone despite skin color and it feels damn good. I’m really glad that i’ve been given this opportunity to change the way i see other people and I can’t wait till I meet my roommate in person this fall.</p>
<p>While it can possibly reduce prejudice, it could also reinforce prejudice. Certainly if you stereotype certain people and you end up being roomed together with someone of another race that you stereotype and that person(s) fits your stereotype…that’s not going to reduce your prejudice…that’s going to reinforce it.</p>
<p>Well i’m black and i’d highly prefer to room with someone of my own race. i currently go to a predominately white prep school and i’ve been asked the most idiotic questions regarding my race. i couldn’t deal with this for four more years. Of course I’m mostly applying to hbcus so i really don’t think it’ll be a problem.</p>