Report: Off-campus ‘POC House’ for students issues new house rules barring white people from common spaces

A post on reddit shows a co-op area in Berkeley University California which has reportedly barred white people from entering.

The five-floor, 30-room “Person of Color Themed House” close to Berkeley University mandates students to state their race when signing in and to provide a heads up when they’re bringing white guests in to the building, according to house rules posted on Reddit.

“Many POC moved here to be able to avoid white violence and presence, so respect their decision of avoidance if you bring white guests,” the rules declare. “White guests are not allowed in common spaces.”

The building, which can house up to 56 students, also urges students to avoid bringing family members that “express bigotry,” according to the Collvege Fix. “Queer, Black, and Indigenous members should not have to avoid common spaces because of homophobic or racist parents/family members,” the rules declare.

According to the house’s website, a “Person of Color Theme House exists to create a safe and welcoming space for its house members and build solidarity with communities of color in the Berkeley area and beyond.”

It also states that their main goal is to “provide a quality, low-cost, cooperative housing community to university students, thereby providing an educational opportunity for students who might not otherwise be able to afford a university education.”

The stance taken by this co-op has attracted criticism, including from minority students.

One mixed-race student, who said they once lived at the house, said they felt their “presence as a light skinned person was not received well” and that they were called slurs.

Janet Gilmore, who is the Senior Director of Strategic Communications at Berkeley University told DailyMail.com in an interview that the house is “not campus operated,” which means “it is not the role of the campus to comment.”

Gilmore went onto say that while Berkely University does have its own theme programs, they operate “no such policies like the one alleged in the Reddit image,” and go onto say that “Cal Housing Theme Programs do not discriminate on the basis of race, consistent with UC and campus policy.”

“As this involves an off-campus non-affiliated landlord, the campus has no ability under the Code of Student Conduct to discipline the landlord.”