The Pot That Refuses to Melt: Diversity in College

July 26, 2008 2:30 pm     Posted in Reality  ccandyamber g+ page

notfunny.jpgOne of the great things about being in college is that you get to meet tons of people from many different nationalities and backgrounds (see: hot foreign exchange students). This is definitely a good experience for those who come from towns where the only color they see is the one of their own skin.


By Ccandyamber

But the sad fact is, many students don’t take advantage of getting to know the diverse kinds of people occupying the same lecture hall or dorm as themselves. Instead, they choose to stick with people who resemble them because it’s what they’re comfortable with; which goes to show that colleges (and the United States as a whole) are not melting pots, but merely salads where different groups of people simply coexist without choosing to mingle with others.

It drives me insane!

As a kid I had friends who were every color under the rainbow, so I assumed that college would be no different. I imagined a vast body of people from places all over the country who intermingled with one another on a daily basis. When I arrived on campus however, it was like stepping into some type of reverse culture shock.

I should have known things wouldn’t be perfect at an institution where only 9% of undergrads identified themselves as Black or African American, but I still remained optimistic about living the “American Dream”. Just about everyone at my college was a resident of the state and usually hung out with people from their high school or hometown, making it challenging for a random black girl from Virginia to try and make friends.

After finally finding friends, I started to realize that others weren’t very happy about my abilities to see past color. Certain black girls that I befriended at the beginning of the year started to separate themselves from me after constantly spotting me on campus with a group of girls that did not share my skin color. One time, when I tried to introduce one of my black friends to a white roommate of mine, and she looked at my roommate as if she was harboring the plague! Needless to say our friendship didn’t last long.

I’m not implying that the world should be perfect and everyone should love and befriend one another, but would it kill people to step out of their comfort zones and embrace the diversity that this country is known for?!!

5 Comments on "The Pot That Refuses to Melt: Diversity in College"

  1. Cali says:
    Sun, 27th Jul 20089:43 am 

    WOW! I couldn't agree with you more! I came from a setting where 50% of the population in my town was asian american. I lived in my little bubble thinking that, although discrimination existed in some places, our generation was the one to change all that! Then I went to college and it was sooooo not true!

    At my university they discriminate based on where you lived so even though you look the same if you didn't live in the same city as them you are considered trash. Below them. I befriended a black girl in my English class and I use to say hi to her around campus but her friends and my friends would just GLARE at each other when we did.

    I never see interracial couples anymore.

    It makes me so sad how closed minded people are!

    I mean I'm not saying I'm perfect, very far from it, but I just wish everyone was educated better about cultures from a younger age. That's why I support Dora because she opens up spanish culture to younger generations.

  2. Caroline says:
    Sun, 27th Jul 20083:08 pm 

    It's funny, my school is very racially separated as well. I come from a rural area where practically EVERYONE is white (we're talking one african american student, and one hispanic student in my graduating class), and we never had issues when it came to excluding people based on race. No one cared.

    Now, I go to a school that has a stereotype as 'Country Club U' and it's SO clear who the 'traditional' students are (affluent and white), and who the 'diversity' students are (of color, or socioeconomically challenged).

    There are (unofficial) separate sections of our main dining hall, where the white kids sit, the 'jock pit' in the middle, and then the section where all the foreign and diversity students sit. It's ridiculous!

    I'd get funny looks as a blonde (pasty) white girl eating dinner with my asian american roommate.

    I never saw this kind of separation in high school!

  3. giz says:
    Wed, 30th Jul 20087:58 pm 

    We've a similar sort of phenomenon at my old high school. Even though we have girls of lots of races, at lunch, the black kids all sit together, regardless of grade level. And they do so willingly… I had one (black) friend who used to sit with my table for the longest time since lower through middle school, but then in about 10th grade she just started sitting with them as well.

    And it's not something people want to talk about, since we wouldn't want to bring up ANYTHING about race, GOD FORBID. :

  4. Amber - Old Dominion says:
    Sat, 2nd Aug 20088:33 am 

    Giz you're right. I think the most common misconception about racism is that all racist/prejudice/discriminatory people are white…not true!

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