Henry signed up to live in the "I" residence hall during his first-year of college. The "I" hall pairs students from the United States with international students. Henry thought that living with an international student would be an exciting and educational experience. He was assigned to live with Yaw, a first-year student from Ghana.

At first, Henry got along with Yaw very well. Yaw spoke excellent-if somewhat British-English, was quick to smile, and was a good student who often tutored Henry in math. But by mid-semester, the differences between cultures were starting to create tensions.

Yaw was homesick and sometimes sullen. Because of the time difference between the United States and Ghana, Yaw would talk to his friends back home in the middle of the night, which annoyed Henry, who was trying to sleep. Yaw often cooked Ghanaian food on a hotplate in their room because he didn't like cafeteria food. The food was a different texture, color, and smell than any food Henry had ever seen. Students were not supposed to cook in their room, and Henry secretly reported Yaw to the Residence Assistance, who ordered Yaw to stop.

Soon other things started bothering Henry. Other students from Ghana started gathering in their room as a home away from home; Yaw's personal grooming habits were much different than Henry's; Yaw often wore traditional clothes that embarrassed Henry when they walked together; and Yaw was inevitably late when they went places together. By mid-semester, Henry intended to ask residence officials for a change of rooms. But the Resident Assistant (RA) requested a meeting with both parties in an attempt to "work things out."

1		What concepts from Chapter 8 might help Henry understand the differences between his culture and Yaw's?
2		How can they move from resistance to participation?
3		In the Steps for Valuing Difference, why are tolerance and respect necessary prerequisites for participation?
4		For your online discussion: Suppose that you are the R.A. What specific advice would you give Henry and Yaw about building common ground?