I’m dealing with an unfair situation involving my daughter’s dorm room assignment. During the spring term, the dorm director announced that room assignments would prioritize seniors, starting with the oldest students. My daughter is a third-year senior, so she should’ve been eligible for a private room based on that policy. However, she was assigned to share a room, while other seniors and even some juniors were given private rooms based on friendships.
My wife contacted the dorm director, who confirmed the policy but said my daughter was overlooked to accommodate juniors who wanted to room together. When we brought this up with the principal, he dismissed our concerns and supported the dorm director’s decision without explaining why my daughter was treated differently.
What’s troubling is that the other senior who was supposed to share a room with my daughter complained and was reassigned to a private room. My daughter’s room was then given to another student instead of being left private.
We suspect discrimination might be at play since my daughter is African American, and the senior who received the private room is white. Does this sound like grounds for a discrimination claim? Would it be worth pursuing legal action even though there’s no written policy? Any advice?
Wil said:
That sounds really unfair. If the dorm director said all seniors get priority, they should stick to it. Did they give any written explanation?
No written explanation, just verbal excuses about friendships and rooming preferences.
Wil said:
That sounds really unfair. If the dorm director said all seniors get priority, they should stick to it. Did they give any written explanation?
Friendships? That’s not how policies are supposed to work. Sounds like they’re just making it up as they go.
If your daughter is African American and they prioritized a white student instead, you might have a case for discrimination. Have you contacted a civil rights attorney?
Hadi said:
If your daughter is African American and they prioritized a white student instead, you might have a case for discrimination. Have you contacted a civil rights attorney?
Not yet. I’m trying to figure out if it’s worth pursuing or if it’ll be an uphill battle.
Hadi said:
If your daughter is African American and they prioritized a white student instead, you might have a case for discrimination. Have you contacted a civil rights attorney?
It’s worth at least consulting with an attorney. Discrimination cases can be tricky, but the racial aspect could make a strong argument.
Rory said:
If you go legal, you’ll need to document everything—what was said in meetings, emails, phone calls, all of it. Have you started compiling evidence?
Yes, we’ve been documenting everything from the beginning. Hoping it’ll make a difference if we take legal action.
Rory said:
If you go legal, you’ll need to document everything—what was said in meetings, emails, phone calls, all of it. Have you started compiling evidence?
Good. Having a paper trail is key in cases like this. Best of luck, and don’t let them sweep this under the rug.