CLAIRMONT, Calif. (WIAT) – Dorm rooms are filling up again on college campuses across the nation, but one student’s ad for a roommate is causing quite the stir.
Kare Urena and her roommate placed an ad on a private page seeking a third roommate, but the post included the term “POC only” or people of color only. The Pitzer College students say with all of the racial tension in the country right now, they didn’t want those issues to distract from their studies.
“I do not hate white people,” Urena said. “Um, that’s not what I screamed in that post. What I screamed in that post was I am eagerly desperate to create a safe space on this campus in order for me to return and be successful here.”
The school’s president called the post “inconsistent with the mission and values of Pitzer College.” He says it’s another example of social media being an ineffective platform for complex dialogue on critical issues.