Students should have the choice to live in separated ethnic housing or mixed housing based on what the student feels most comfortable and accepted with. Dorms that have mixed races allow each other to learn and adapt to one another. Diversity is one component that students look for when looking at colleges. For instance Parker expresses that she "did more then survive. I flourished. I learned about the history, variety, and complexity of my own culture"(Parker,2002, p.552). Everyone has there own opinion as for Parker she felt more comfortable with her own race, as she flourished and learned about her culture. As students get comfortable with there own decisions but they should be open to mingle with others. Although some universities offer variety of housing others do not. As for schools such as Yale "has decided that living on the campus is an important component of what it deems to be be a Yale education"(Davis,2001,p.560). This is major problem if you do not believe in living in this environment. This should be a component that one looks for before even apply to such a school. On the other hand students all show some similarities in which they can use to bond with one another.

    Not every one agrees living in housing based on their race or sex such as "Not all minority-group students want to live in theme houses focused on their culture"(Parker, 1997 PAGE NUMBERS NEEDED). Not everyone is willing to be house due to there culture. Students want to be available to live freely with any race, it just depends on the university and what they offer and feel is right for there housing. Many Schools use this housing to help promote cultural housing such as "Stanford students, faculty and administrators have largely expressed continued support for the dorms, which by now have assumed unquestioned roles in the promotion of cultural awareness on campus"(Devasher, 2002). This can help students if they are open to new and different cultures, but may also isolate certain people that are not socially open to others. Theme dorms can be a way of promoting segregation between cultures as housing open to anyone willing to live in the dorms. In the end when becoming a freshman many students the value of living on their own and getting out of their parents house " As an incoming freshman, I valued enormously the diversity of on-campus housing. There are housing options that allow one to explore such interests as art, music, foreign languages and computer networking. All of these housing options are available to all students"(Byer, 1994). Having a variety of options for housing is great for students as it opens up new opportunities for students to learn from one another.

    The option to live with other students of the same race should be an option for student to choose but should not be the only one. Students should not be required to have to live a certain way it should be of there choosing. It just depends on the school of ones choosing and what the university believes is the best for their housing.

    

 

 

                                                                                                    Reference List

Byer, E. How cornell student housing really works. (1994). The New York Times.com. Retrieved December 10,
         2008 from http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990DE2D91E30F937A35756C0A962958260.

Davis, D. S. (2001). College housing policies should avoid ethnic and religious balkanization. In L.G. Kirszner & S.R. Mandell (Eds), Patterns for college
       writing: A rhetorical reader and guide (pp. 558). Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's. NOT USED

Devasher, M. (2002). Campus defends its ethnic theme houses. The Standford Daily. Retrieved December 10,
             2008 from http://daily.stanford.org/article/2002/11/19/campusDefendsItsEthnicThemeHouses.
Parker. R. (2002). Why special housing for ethnic students makes sense. In Laurie G. Kirszner & Stephen R.
             Mandell, Patterns for College Writing: A Rhetorical Reader and Guide (pp.544-546). Boston: Bedford/St.  Martin's.

Parker. R.(1997). Why special housing for ethnic students makes sense. The Chronicle of higher education. Retrieved December 10,2008 from

        https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/hschein/www/readings/diversity/ethnic-housing.html