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