Students say they’ve long endured racism and microaggressions at the Carlson School. But a computer technician’s treatment of Musab was the last straw.
Musab Hussein just needs to complete one more class to graduate from the University of Minnesota with his accounting degree. With a midterm exam coming up, he had to secure a laptop. So when Musab’s advisor told him he could rent a laptop from the school, he and his younger brother headed to Hanson Hall, home of the Carlson School of Management’s undergraduate program, to check one out.
The staff member became suspicious, saying he had never hired him or seen him before. Musab searched his email on his phone to confirm the name of a different Carlson staffer who had hired him. The staff member didn’t seem to believe that either, Musab said.
The failed small talk didn’t matter, Musab decided. He was there to rent a laptop for his exam. He presented his university ID so he could check one out. But the staff member balked.
But even with the university ID, the staff member refused to rent him the laptop.
“He said, ‘No, you look suspicious, you do not look like a U of M student,’” said Musab’s brother, Lukman Hussein. “He just looked at us with distrust and disdain.”
The Hussein brothers pressed the staff member, pointing out that Musab pays tuition to access resources like laptops and that his test was due that night.
Then, Lukman said, the staff member’s demeanor changed. “Get the fuck out of my building,” he told them. Lukman started filming the interaction on his phone.
“That’s when everything triggered,” Musab said. “This is a building I take six classes in. Hanson Hall is a home to me, a second home. It’s my safe space.” With so many siblings at home learning remotely, his house is often “chaos,” so he comes to Hanson Hall to study, complete his homework, and watch Zoom lectures. “He told me to get the fuck out of a building that I honestly treasure.”
https://sahanjournal.com/education/musab-hussein-carlson-discrimination/