College president denounces black student's non-white roommate request

CLAREMONT, Calif.-- A small liberal arts college near Los Angeles is denouncing a Facebook post made by a black student who was seeking out a non-white roommate.

The Claremont Independent reports Pitzer College student Kare Urena asked in the post that only people of color apply to live in her off-campus residence, adding that she didn't "want to live with any white folks."

Pitzer President Melvin Oliver, who earlier this year became the first African American to lead a Claremont undergrad campus, calls the post "inconsistent with our mission and values." He says the college wants to engage "complex intercultural issues, not to isolate individuals on the basis of any protected status."

The Mission and Values section of Pitzer College's website lists "intercultural understanding" as one of its five core values.

"Individual perspective and approach to the world are informed by the culture in which one resides. Intercultural Understanding enables Pitzer students to comprehend issues and events from cultural lenses beyond their own," the website states.

The Washington Post reports a roommate was found and the post has been removed, but Urena and another roommate are defending it. They say living with people of color "can be necessary."

In:
• California