Musab Hussein needed to rent a laptop to take a University of Minnesota exam. Instead he was told, ‘You do not look like a U of M student.’ And then things got worse.

Musab, a senior at the Carlson School, is the oldest son in a Somali family. When he graduates in May, he hopes to land an accounting job to help provide for his parents and siblings. He had taken classes in Hanson Hall for nearly four years, and for one of those years, he even worked in the computer lab. On March 1, he arrived at Hanson Hall in a good mood. In the computer lab, he printed out his notes to use for his open notebook exam, and approached the desk to rent a computer. He asked the staff member on duty if he had been the person who hired him for his computer lab job.

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.

“He said, ‘I don’t trust you at all, I don’t think you’re a U student or a Carlson student,’” Musab said. “What the hell is this guy talking about? I’m getting my UCard, you can see my picture, you can see my name.”