A few months ago I read an article on Inside Higher Ed regarding students at Ptizer College who were looking for a roommate and requested that only other students of color inquire. Some of the students’ peers had an issue with this requirement and the whole scenario made me think about how people of color (POC), specifically underrepresented minorities, navigate predominately white institutions (PWI).
There was a huge social media response that ranged from encouragement and support all the way to calling the students racist (which further proved to me that we have to tread lightly with the information we allow ourselves to consume on social media because clearly this person didn’t know the definition of racism). I personally read more negative than positive responses and I couldn’t really understand the backlash. Why are people even asking questions like, "how would this request be perceived if it was a white student requesting only white inquiries?" Or, "couldn’t she have achieved her preferences without explicitly stating POCs only?" My immediate thoughts to those questions were, "why does that matter?" That’s not the point of the request and I challenge those who have an issue with this request to truly think about why they are really mad. Why is it problematic for students of color to want to create a space that separates them from the power and privileges their white peers have due to systemic structure of PWIs?
Ptizer College student body is 49% percent white. Honestly, that was enough information for me. In addition to these students being in white space all day, there is an immense amount of racial injustice occurring in this country. Black people are being killed and their deaths are being publicized everywhere. That’s traumatic. There is a presidential race occurring that has a candidate who is blatantly racist and his slurs are in our face. All. The. Time. These students don’t have a choice but to be surrounded by hate. Regardless of the resources the institution may be providing to support students processing current events, it’s more than okay for them to want to go home and have a space of only other POCs.
This whole issue isn’t about white people not being allowed to inquire about rooming with POCs. It also has nothing to do with whether these students feel like they can live with white people. I interpreted this roommate request as students valuing self care and being intentional about creating the space to take care of themselves. Mental health is not a game. The trauma POCs are experiencing is real. It is necessary that we take care of ourselves. There is absolutely no need to apologize for taking action to create a safe space that allows healing. I would actually argue that it’s necessary.
I want to encourage anyone reading this to take care of yourself how you deem fit. Do not devalue your mental health and well being to appease others. Lastly, if you have a moment please check out the student’s statement addressing her request and the responses she received.
Sidebar: Can we briefly discuss how I was triggered by the author’s statement of saying the college was ONLY 49 percent white? Sir, I get it in the technical sense that 49 is less than half and it is okay to say only when describing proportion. However, please think about the context. There is nothing only about 49% of a student population identifying in a specific category when the other 51% is split among several other racial identities.
Ptizer College student body is 49% percent white. Honestly, that was enough information for me. In addition to these students being in white space all day, there is an immense amount of racial injustice occurring in this country. Black people are being killed and their deaths are being publicized everywhere. That’s traumatic. There is a presidential race occurring that has a candidate who is blatantly racist and his slurs are in our face. All. The. Time. These students don’t have a choice but to be surrounded by hate. Regardless of the resources the institution may be providing to support students processing current events, it’s more than okay for them to want to go home and have a space of only other POCs.
This whole issue isn’t about white people not being allowed to inquire about rooming with POCs. It also has nothing to do with whether these students feel like they can live with white people. I interpreted this roommate request as students valuing self care and being intentional about creating the space to take care of themselves. Mental health is not a game. The trauma POCs are experiencing is real. It is necessary that we take care of ourselves. There is absolutely no need to apologize for taking action to create a safe space that allows healing. I would actually argue that it’s necessary.
I want to encourage anyone reading this to take care of yourself how you deem fit. Do not devalue your mental health and well being to appease others. Lastly, if you have a moment please check out the student’s statement addressing her request and the responses she received.
Sidebar: Can we briefly discuss how I was triggered by the author’s statement of saying the college was ONLY 49 percent white? Sir, I get it in the technical sense that 49 is less than half and it is okay to say only when describing proportion. However, please think about the context. There is nothing only about 49% of a student population identifying in a specific category when the other 51% is split among several other racial identities.
Tiffany is a higher education professional in institutional effectiveness, research, assessment, and planning.
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