One of the arguments frequently made in defense of the continuous existence of ethnic-themed housing arrangements at Cornell is that they promote intercultural interactions and provide a "safe space" for minorities on campus. But what if social science research suggested the opposite? What if common sense were correct in dictating that sustained interactions between students of different backgrounds could, in many cases, improve interracial relations and promote tolerance? From The New York Times: Of course, "diversity" per se is no panacea: But what can you do. Students are frequently urged to "leave their comfort zone" in daily social interactions. That strategy can pay dividends or, as the article suggests, leave people more jaded and prejudiced than they were before. Kind of like real life. Anyway, I don't mean to belabor the point. The social forces being studied here are complex. But it seems clear that defenders of the residential status quo on North Campus have yet more explaining to do.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.
Several studies have shown that living with a roommate of a different race changes students’ attitudes. One, from the University of California at Los Angeles, generally found decreased prejudice among students with different-race roommates — but those who roomed with Asian-Americans, the group that scored the highest on measures of prejudice, became more prejudiced themselves.
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