Voluntary segregation on a diverse campus

by Brittany Crutcher

IIt is obvious that there is segregation on MSU’s diverse campus. Take a look in the cafeteria, dorms, or anywhere around campus and it is common to see the African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians, and Caucasians keeping to themselves.

Ralph Pyle, an Integrated Social Science and Sociology professor, says, “The segregation on campus is voluntary. Students segregate themselves because they feel comfortable with people of a similar background.” 

Many students no doubt come from areas where there is a lack of exposure to and interaction with members of diverse groups.  Students may feel out of place on campus because it is different from their environment at home. Some students who come to MSU seek to recreate the comfortable experience from home.

The Greek organizations can contribute to segregation because they seem to cater to certain races. In a way, this experience reinforces segregation even more because students find similar people to socialize with and would not be as interested in associating with others.

Self-segregation also occurs because students are often afraid to interact with people from different backgrounds. Students who would be willing to assimilate may feel intimidated. They don’t want to offend people of other races by expressing curiosity about their lifestyles or culture.  It is just easier to flock with the same types of birds to avoid any misunderstanding.

Many students say that Michigan State could do more to deal with this issue. An advertising senior at MSU who asked not to be named said, “I feel like MSU provokes the segregation by placing majority of the International students in McDonel or the African-Americans in Brody or Hubbard. If students were scattered across campus then maybe it would limit the segregation.”

The responsibility is not all MSU's, however. When students fill out their housing requests, they choose where they want to be placed.  Sometimes a student’s decision is based on what his or her MSU friends tell them is the hotspot, continuing the cycle of segregation.

We can try all types of solutions but no one can be forced to unite. In the future, I believe that this problem will not be as obvious as it is today. Compared to forty years ago, our nation has come a long way. Who would have thought that blacks and whites would be attending college together? The change lies among us to step outside of our boundaries and accept people of different backgrounds no matter how wide the variation maybe.