The president of Massachusetts Institute of Technology defended a blacks-only dorm on her campus Tuesday before a U.S. House committee, saying the segregation is not “exclusionary” but “positive selection by students.”
“Actually at MIT, our students affiliate voluntarily with whichever dorm they want to. It’s not exclusionary, it’s actually positive selection by students which dormitory they want to live in,” MIT President Sally Kornbluth (pictured) said during a hearing about rising antisemitism on college campuses.
Kornbluth, who is white, spoke about the dorm, known as Chocolate City, in response to questions from U.S. Rep. Burgess Owens, a black Republican from Utah.
Chocolate City is described as a “brotherhood” of students and alumni who “identify with urban culture and share common backgrounds, interests, ethnicities, and/or experiences,” according to the MIT website.