<p>Are there any former attendees of the program that could tell us a little bit about their experiences?</p>
<p>Unfortunately, most everyone loves LSRW. I am not Latino and didn’t go but am against diversity recruitment weekends (i.e. LSRW and BSAI (black students)). Essentially what these weekends do are ensure that Latino and Black students become close friends with other people who attend the weekend, i.e., other students of their same “race”. These weekends are in existence only because they are effective at getting minority students to come, not because they are morally justifiable according to university principles. So…if you want to have fun and probably choose Duke, then go. If you want to choose Duke for some other reason than a cool group of people with similar skin pigmentation…then there’s no need to go.</p>
<p>I disagree with the above poster. I didn’t attend LSRW, but I have many, many friends who did (which goes to show that those who attend don’t just hang out with other attendees). LSRW is just another version of BDD geared towards minorities because sometimes, minorities may feel isolated ('cause naturally, they are minorities lol). The point of LSRW is to let minority admits understand that Duke is a welcoming place for all and that diversity is celebrated. Or in other words, it’s there to put some at ease.</p>
<p>That being said, if you’re comfortable with being a minority, then go to BDD. If you want to experence the LSRW community, by all means, I encourge you to go.</p>
<p>How many people are invited?? How many actually go to the event?</p>
<p>I went to LSRW 2009. It was a great weekend. I think there were around 75 students that attended last year. The people organizing are very competent, and did a great job responding to questions and what not. </p>
<p>I had a great experience, and really got to be exposed to the campus. Though it is aimed at Latinos, there are a wide array of Latinos that attend. </p>
<p>If you are considering Duke, then I would definitely encourage you to go.</p>
<p>Definitely going then, seems like fun (:</p>
<p>hey I will also be attending LSRW in a few weeks. Im planning, and have already arranged, to hangout with my friend, who’s a freshman, during most of the nights. This may lead me to miss a few of the events, so I just wanted to know if Duke would have a problem with this.</p>
<p>@Lightzout: Duke won’t have a problem with you missing events.
@Travard: It is fun, but fun isn’t everything.
@eatsalot: You say that you disagree with me and then you make my same points. What do you mean when you say minorities may feel isolated because “naturally” they’re minorities? In what sense are they really a “minority”? I’d encourage you to look beyond skin color and be more inclined to say that “Latino” people are much more “people” than they are “Latino”. If you do look beyond skin color, there’s no reason to have an entire event based on it. It’s just a crutch for people unwilling to associate with people of different skin tones.</p>
<p>I am a former LSRW attendee (2009) and current Duke student. The recruitment weekend was a great experience and definitely ‘sealed the deal’ for me to go to Duke.</p>
<p>I have serious problems with p<em>hp</em>fan’s comments. All Latino’s have ‘similar skin pigmentation’? That is just ignorant, and I am ashamed that a fellow Blue Devil would think that way. With that said, (I won’t argue with somebody over the internet) I encourage any student who has received an invitation to attend, as it is an excellent way to discover Duke (independent from whatever you may think about recruitment weekends.)</p>
<p>As far as what actually happens, you will be attending events that will introduce you to the various facets of student life (academics, athletics, clubs, etc.)</p>
<p>On a final note, let’s not compare LSRW to Blue Devil Days. From somebody who went to both, LSRW is a much better experience in terms of immersing yourself in the campus culture. Blue Devil Day’s is abasically a long tour (not to say that non-URM should not attend).</p>
<p>Err, yeah, I’m hispanic and light skinned as can be. In fact, I turn red if I even smile too much.</p>
<p>I’m against minority recruitment weekends as well. Granted, I’m white and obviously have a perspective that is at least limited (if not biased) by this fact. But it seems to me that the Duke social scene is already extremely balkanized. That’s not to say that most people don’t have friends of all races and ethnicities, but people definitely tend to hang out with people of their own race. Part of that is self-selection, but Duke as an institution is by no means innocent. Look at Central - how can you deny that a highly disproportionate number of Central residents are minorities? Can you honestly deny the huge influence this has on race dynamics on campus?</p>
<p>Events like minority recruitment weekends might create a greater sense of community within minority groups, but they completely undermine the idea of a unified Duke community. They alienate non-minority students and contribute to the us-vs.-them idea that’s so prevalent on campus. The idea of a LGBT recruitment weekend that’s being tossed around is a terrible idea for similar reasons.</p>
<p>Note to all prospective students: this should in no way discourage you from attending Duke. These are problems that you’re going to find at any top-tier university. The fact that we’re discussing this shows how acutely aware Dukies are aware of these problems and frankly, that means we’re doing better than many other institutions. Whether you’re a minority or not, Duke is an amazing place - but it’s what you make of it. Go outside your comfort zone wherever you are (and I hope it’s Duke).</p>
<p>My D went to BSAI in 2008, and it’s had very little effect on who she socializes with.</p>
<p>From my observations on campus, I think the problem of race balkanization occurs mainly among Asians and African-Americans. I’m not saying that every single person of these ethnic groups does not ‘hang out’ outside of their ethnicity, but this is definitely the trend I have observed in my time here and I believe other students (even those being referred to) can attest to this. I find it hard to believe that recruitment weekends are even partly to blame for this. The causes of racial stratificaion on our campus have deeper roots than that, and whether the issue can even be addressed through policy is doubtful.</p>
<p>Additionally, I have not seen the same level of ‘cliqueness’ among Latino students at Duke. Within the Hispanic community there are a myriad of differences, and I was rather surprised at the number of ‘Latino’ students I met during LSRW who did not speak one word of Spanish.</p>
<p>I wish to limit my discussion of this online, as I believe that a prospective student might be mislead/discouraged by some of the things being mentioned in this thread. There are too many great things at Duke to overemphasize this issue. Duke is a wonderful, diverse place, and I think one of our greatest virtues is our ability speak freely and intelligently about these types of issues.</p>