Accompany her roommate to the classroom.

Help her roommate with her report

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.

In a study analyzing data on thousands of Ohio State freshmen who lived in dorms, he found that black freshmen who came to college with high standardized test scores earned better grades if they had a white roommate — even if the roommate's test scores were low.

Perhaps, the study speculated, having a white roommate helps academically prepared black students adjust to a predominantly white university

Because interracial roommate relationships are often problematic, Dr. Fazio said, many students would like to move out, but university housing policies may make it hard to leave.