08/14/2007
Parents Nixing Gay College Roommates Using Facebook
An article in USA Today notes that parents of freshmen entering colleges have begun using Facebook profiles as a way of screening the school's choice of roommate for their child:
"Housing officials say parents who cite Facebook most frequently mention party-related content and photos as their primary concerns. Parents sometimes see cups in photos and make the leap to alcohol and drugs, Manetas says. But Robin Berkowitz-Smith of Syracuse University says race, religion and sexual orientation are the top three concerns from parents contacting officials there. Maureen Wark of Suffolk University in Boston also ranked sexual orientation as a top concern of parents. Wark recalls getting a call from a parent who had 'psychological and sanitary concerns' about a student's new roommates, both of whom were gay men. 'People don't give other people a chance,' she says."
Officials at Syracuse, who place a "freeze" on room changes for the first few months of school, appear to have a sane approach to the situation, however:
"[Robin] Berkowitz-Smith says Syracuse officials talk with students when they arrive on campus to determine whether they actually have reservations about a roommate, rather than assuming students have the same concerns parents do."
Facebook pages concern parents of college freshmen [usa today]
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Posted 10:10 AM EST by Andy in College, Discrimination, Education, Facebook, News | Permalink
Comments
Isn't that great? "Psychological and sanitary concerns." I laughed out loud when I read that. (My mother was not as amused.)
Posted by: Thor | Aug 14, 2007 10:39:33 AM
All I can say is that I am so glad that these young people are getting away from their clearly bigoted and nutty parents.
Posted by: Bloggernista | Aug 14, 2007 11:00:16 AM
That'd be nice... except a lot of them are just as bigoted and nutty. It's nice to think all college students are open-minded, but a number of them... well, aren't. Trust me.
Posted by: Thor | Aug 14, 2007 11:29:52 AM
1. thats why you put your facebook profile on private
2. move to california!
Posted by: z | Aug 14, 2007 12:39:42 PM
Parents used to do this during orientation while moving in--and changing rooms was difficult. Parents are deluded into thinking their own kids are saints and other kids are devils. I could see how the top concern at Syracuse would be race--that's the type of people who go there.
Posted by: anon (gmail.com) | Aug 14, 2007 12:47:48 PM
Amazing. I remember being told by my parents and teachers the great thing about college is that I would be exposed to a host of different people with different ideas. These parents should have just kept their precious straight children locked in their basements.
Posted by: Marco | Aug 14, 2007 1:23:01 PM
When I was in high school I went away to college for a summer program for 'gifted students' (I spent the entire time learning that I couldn't really hold my liquor). As my parents and I went to my dorm room to get settled we opened the door and there sat my roommate for the summer...and his skin was blacker than night. He introduced himself and my mother was chilly. My mom marched downstairs and demanded that I be moved to another room (which caused me no end of embarrassment). When the person assigning rooms wisely refused to move me, my mother broke into tears (which caused me even more embarrassment). I assured my mother it wasn't a problem for me. She cried even more. Finally, she and my father left. I went back to my room and began to get to know my new roommate. Over the summer he proved himself to be the most polite, most considerate guy in our program. The university could not have assigned a better roommate. I couldn't wait to tell my mother that not only did he turn out to be the best person out of the bunch, but that he was a great roommate AND that the only other guy in the program that I would have chosen to room with was also black. Parents can be complete idiots.
Posted by: peterparker | Aug 14, 2007 1:35:10 PM
Let'em do it - 'cause while their fears may be insane & bigoted the "Roomates" may actually have something REAL to fear.
I know that I, personally, cannot tollerate people who've been raised bigoted (at least, not as a roomate - NO WAY!) So, by all means, let them make it easier for ME.
Posted by: Ryan | Aug 14, 2007 2:53:14 PM
Singles, FTW!
Posted by: Jason | Aug 14, 2007 5:30:15 PM
I came out to my college roomates in 1986. Pretty rare thing to do in those days. I took my fair share of ignorance but it mostly worked out ok. There were 16 of us in the suite. LOL. Apply the 10% percent rule, I was the one and the former high school football player was the .6. It was good enough for us.
Posted by: Paul | Aug 15, 2007 4:10:56 AM
Wish I could say that filled me with warm fuzzies Pete maybe it's because I was often the only non white guy in the room/program etc... You're right though parents can be down right creepy.
Posted by: Giovanni | Aug 15, 2007 9:53:54 AM
This is bullshit. The university should decide on roommate combos. Period. Since when did parents get to choose? This must be something new. At Yale in the sixties you had no say in who your frosh roomie was. And with good reason. Yale made sure a black kid from Alabama was rooming with a rich white brat from Boston. Me. Sure my parents were silently raising eyebrows but they never said a word. They had way too much class for that. My roomie was a great guy (actually a really hot footballer) and although I was coming out then, he was tolerant. (actually he was a little curious,even...ahem.) We remain good friends to this day. I am so fucking sick and tired of the molly coddling going on with kids today.
Posted by: bostonian queer in dallas | Aug 20, 2007 5:33:36 AM
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