Duke University Aims to Enhance Racial Interaction on Campus Through Dual Sponsorship of Social Events

Self-segregation is a major problem on the campuses of many predominantly white colleges and universities. On many campuses blacks, whites, Hispanics, and other racial and ethnic groups tend to congregate and socialize with members of their own group.

At Duke University, the Center for Race Relations has come up with a novel plan to encourage more interaction between racial and ethnic groups. The center’s social arm — Students to Unite Duke (STUD) — provides funds to several different groups on campus to organize a single event such as a dance or other social gathering. Thus a single party or other gathering might be co-sponsored by the black student association, a women’s rights group, and a predominantly white fraternity. The goal is to bring different groups of people together to socialize. Events held so far seem to have attracted a diverse group of students and have been met with generally favorable reviews from those who have attended.

Copyright © 2007. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. All rights reserved.