Surprise! Duke's Next Incoming Class Won't Get to Choose Roommates

i went to duke for undergrad and explicitly asked for a blk roommate. they gave me a single. in my second year, i roomed with a white guy i didn't know since my homies were on the football team or in frats both of which came w/ housing, so i had to fend for myself. i blacked out on the white roomie after some racially insensitive shit, and they gave me a single after i made a petition. it was interesting situation. it's great that duke recognizes that many of our self proclaimed preferences are indeed (unexamined) prejudices. however, it also ignores the reality of white supremacy and that black ppl in particular often need shelter in an anti-blk world.

 

I lived in a shared suite my freshman year with 7 other guys. All random. 4 white. 1 Chinese-American. Two were international students from Saint-Martin, but they were ethnically Indian. They were all very much the stereotypical "bro" type though. I didn't have a terrible experience. I would hang out with them here and there, but we just didn't click like that. And they definitely made a lot of racially insensitive comments. But, I actually got along best with the two Indian dudes. I'm not sure if that had anything to do with with them being non-white and from the Caribbean, but I have a feeling it might have played a role.

But even then, I haven't talked to any of them in years. I made my core group of friends from my scholarship program that was targeted towards low-income, first generation college students. We were were mostly black or Latino. Even though I went to a PWI, I honestly didn't have any white friends until my senior year. I went to an expensive ass private school, so I couldn't really relate to most of the rich white students. It was easier to make friends with other low-income students and students of color. I'm still friends with them today.

 

Is choosing your own roommate a common practice? Is this a Duke specific thing? It might be relevant to when/where I went to college, but we were all given random roommate assignments. This happened at both schools I attended.

 

I feel like they are just asking for world of hurt and headaches to be honest. 100 dollars says by the end of the first week the person in charge of the dorms will have meetings left and right with students requesting roommate changes. I mean I hope this works for them but still. Living in the dorm some years ago myself at college, it was usually a hit or miss with me. I only ever had a true bond with my black roommates which were far and few in between. But most of my friends I did make from the same residence hall we lived in, but were never roommates. In fact I still keep in touch with one of my RA's from my freshman year. But soon after I had to request singles. Having roommates is great and all but I feel like if you going through too many adjustments in one sitting, new job, new school etc, it helps to have your own space to properly assess the world around you at that time.