Letter to the editor

The argument in the editorial “Not So Diverse After All” published Feb. 6 stated that joining a Special Interest Housing (SIH) floor restricts students to only one way of thinking, and it is important to be exposed to people who “do not think exactly like them” even if it means toughing out a difficult roommate.

It must be stated that contrary to this claim, SIH provides ample opportunities to experience different viewpoints. Living on a CASTLE floor, for example, are students of diverse ethnicities and political views, connected only by the goal of living a substance-tempered, community-driven lifestyle. SIH communities allow students to choose to live with students who will contribute to their success rather than detract from it.

Going through the pain of living with someone with whom you cannot reason with or relate to leaves one only with the burning resolve to find a roommate who will positively challenge him or her and provide a good friend, even and especially if the roommate has a wide palate of views.

Opportunities to acquire people-management skills are plentiful enough during the college day.

After a full day of enriching classes, will a double major in French and political science really be best off in a dorm with a boozed up partier, just for the sake of experiencing “different ways of thinking?” I say no, especially not when compared with the alternative of sharing a space with an equally driven student.

Though “situations after graduation” undoubtedly will involve people we don’t agree with, as the article correctly pointed out, when last I checked we will have the freedom to choose who to live with, a choice often made in relation to work and lifestyle. SIH communities give students the opportunity to make this choice in college, which is invaluable to the college experience.

John Palowitch is a sophomore majoring in jazz performance and mathematics.