<p>well in a couple of weeks, i’ll be attending the freshman summer start program at UCSB which is basically summer school so that you can get familiar with the campus as well as get some units finished with.
i just got my roommate information for the program today and i’ll be rooming with an Omar, i was not supplied with a home phone number unfortunately…
when my dad read the letter/rooming assignment, he immediately freaked saying that i cant room with this person because he’s most likely a muslim and they are the worst.
housing at sb is done randomly but my father doesnt believe that. he thinks that all the “good” students had the first pick of roommates and i was stuck with the “bad”.
he doesnt want me to room with muslims or african americans and i suspect hispanics as well. he said he’s going to call tomorrow and ask that i get another roommate. if they dont change my roommate, he said, then he’s going to take me out of the program.
my dad is footing the bill for the program so i have basically no say in this and he is also driving me up there =T
so what am i to do? do i try to convince him to just let it go (which i think will do crap)? or do i just go along with his thing?
i myself dont care who my roommate is as long as they dont invade my personal space and steal/use my items without my permission.</p>
<p>This is a long shot but can you try to convince your dad that because of anti-discrimination laws, if he complains that you could get kicked out of school or precluded from living in student housing at all? (I mean- don’t you freak out - it wouldn’t happen – but the point is to get your dad to realize the Univ. policy and state & federal laws prohibit discrimination of any sort, and then take that one step further to mean that the consequences of your “violating” those policies would be dire. ) </p>
<p>Also, here’s a picture of Omar Bradley: <a href=“http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3f/General_of_the_Army_Omar_Bradley.jpg/452px-General_of_the_Army_Omar_Bradley.jpg[/url]”>http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3f/General_of_the_Army_Omar_Bradley.jpg/452px-General_of_the_Army_Omar_Bradley.jpg</a> Maybe you can remind your dad that the name is also fairly common among white, anglo-saxon people as well.</p>
![http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3f/General_of_the_Army_Omar_Bradley.jpg/452px-General_of_the_Army_Omar_Bradley.jpg[/url]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3f/General_of_the_Army_Omar_Bradley.jpg/452px-General_of_the_Army_Omar_Bradley.jpg%5B/url%5D){kind=link}
<p>Here’s a little chart - [Baby</a> Name Omar - Origin and Meaning of Omar](<a href=“Omar]Baby - what does Omar]Baby mean?”>Omar - Name Meaning, What does Omar mean?) - it shows that since 1990, the name “Omar” has consistently been among top 200 most popular baby names in the US- so it probably is very popular among many ethnic groups.</p>
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<p>Please remind him that “Muslim” is not a race, it’s a religion that has followers of all colors and races. </p>
<p>African Americans can be white as well; Many South Africans are white. </p>
<p>Hispanic also is not a race. Hispanic is an ethnicity encompassing people of all colors and races as well. </p>
<p>If all else fails, print out a picture of some random white guy on the internet and say that he’s your roommate.</p>
<p>In my opinion, you only going to aggravate situation by arguing. Let him do whatever he planned to do, most likely his attempts will be futile or he himself realizes that it is silly. I would just be very cool about it and see what happen. You said yourself that you have no control over it. Sometime do nothing is the best that we can do.</p>
<p>Considering how few Internationals are accepted by the UC System it’s likely that Omar is a CA resident. Since the room assignment has been made I believe the UCSB housing office would release Omar’s telephone number to you, or at the very least his email address. Give them a call and ask for it/them. I mean other than a name, what information have you got here?</p>
<p>Given the diversity of Calif., there’s a good chance that your freshmen roommates will include some people whom you dad won’t approve of. This issue isn’t likely to go away no matter what happens this summer. </p>
<p>My advice would be to e-mail or call the housing office and ask for their advice, emphasizing that it’s your dad who’s racist, not you. They may be able to offer you good advice on how to deal with him. Your contacting them also will prevent their mistaking you as the racist if your dad follows through and contacts them.</p>
<p>If you Google, you probably can find an interesting story the Atlanta Journal Constitution did about how the mom of Michelle Obama’s freshman roommate at Princeton complained to Princeton’s housing office because she didn’t want her daughter rooming with a black person. The housing office didn’t change the rooming assignment. Michelle and her roommate got along, but apparently didn’t become close enough friends to room together again.</p>
<p>I have the feeling the roommate’s mom is sorry now that her D didn’t become friends with Michelle. Seems the story may have reflected that regret.</p>
<p>Warmest wishes to you for having the strength of character not to have embraced your father’s bigotry.</p>
<p>Note to everyone: The OP’s situation is something I worried about with my own sons (We are black) when they went to college – that they’d encounter racism from their roommates or their roommate’s parents. That also was something that I feared when I went to college. Unfortunately, there still are bigots in the world, and I have known students of color who have had some very painful experiences due to racist roommates or the racist parents of their roommates.</p>
<p>^^^ Agree. I would make the call before your father does, explaining the situation.</p>
<p>And to second nsm’s note: I also worry about my son going to college and encountering racism. <em>sigh</em></p>
<p>Tell your dad that if the roommate is a Muslim, at least he probably won’t be gay.</p>
<p>Hunt, you crack me up. Obviously, you’ve never seen Andy Samberg’s ode to Ahmadinejad. He thinks there’s something there! :)</p>
<p>Considering that most of the UCs are less than 50% “white”, your chances of rooming with someone of another race/ethnicity/religion are pretty high.</p>
<p>I suppose the OP may be Asian.</p>
<p>just find a pic of some white guy on facebook and tell your dad that its “Omar”</p>
<p>Here’s a more serious suggestion, although it is similar to my #8: “Dad, if we complain about my roommate assignment, they’ll probably give me some major problem roommate, like a substance abuser or a person with personality problems.”</p>
<p>Is the roommate just for the summer start program? If it is maybe you can get your Dad to relax and see what happens for fall.
Also tell your Dad you might be better off living with a Muslim versus a white student who can’t wait to get into IV to party.</p>
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<p>Yes, because as everyone knows, only white students can’t wait to party.</p>
<p>OP,</p>
<p>You can’t stop your father from doing what he wants to do about your roommate situation. But you are an adult (I assume you are 18), so you can also call the housing office on your own and let them know your feelings about it. As an earlier poster pointed out, given the racial diversity at all UC campuses, it is very likely that most students will room with others of a different race than their own.</p>
<p>trip7s,
My sister went to the UCSB Summer program back in the day. Her roommate was the same race and religion as she was. And they hated each other’s guts! </p>
<p>Her best friends were the girls across the hall, who were of a different race. It was a wonderful summer for her, she learned a lot, had a great time palling around with her new friends, and she came home with a great tan. :)</p>
<p>The school will not allow you to switch roommates without a legitimate reason about your incompatibility (which may only arise after you’ve lived together for a while). They wouldn’t let Michelle Obama’s white roommate switch out at Princeton.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, there still are bigots in the world, and I have known students of color who have had some very painful experiences due to racist roommates or the racist parents of their roommates.</p>
<p>And on the other side of the coin, there are Black, Asian, and Chicano interest floors where residents can do something similar, not live with a race they aren’t comfortable with. And these interest floors, like the beliefs of the OP’s dad, only help to reinforce beliefs that people of various races are somehow “different”.</p>
<p>Bay- I realize I was making a generalization about white students who party in Isla Vista. Based on the knowledge that UCSB and IV are known for the party scene. I live local and have been to IV. Many local students chose to attend UCSB. All good students. Many like the party scene. Some don’t.</p>
<p>I agree with Northstarmom’s advice. Call. The problem that I see is that the rest of the advice seems to be rational, but he is dealing with an irrational person. None of this will work. This young man will not change the father. My other concern is that the father may pull him out of the program, which he has threatened. I would tell Dad that he has raised me, and should trust me not to be friends with this person if he turns out to be what Dad suspects. (Gag!) And that this will enable you to be able to go and find an ethnically appropriate roommate for the school year. Otherwise, who knows what might happen with the luck or “unluck” of the draw? I am NOT telling you to actually do this, but I am telling you that this may keep you in the program and where you want to be. It is play the game time. It may sicken you to do this, but until you are out on your own, you need to play along, in order to get to a point where you can do whatever you wish and be your own person. You may not be able to change your Dad, but someday, you can look back and know you beat him at his own game. Good luck!</p>