Researchers also observed problems resulting from pairing interracial students in residences.

    According to two recent studies, randomly assigned roommates of different races are more likely to experience conflicts so strained that one roommate will move out.

    An Indiana University

    Grace Kao, a professor at Penn said she was not surprised by the findings. “This may be the first time that some of these students have interacted, and lived, with someone of a different race,” she said.

    At Penn, students are not asked to indicate race when applying for housing.

    “One of the great things about freshman housing is that, with some exceptions, the process throws you together randomly,”