Hello all. I am a prospective student at UA and hope to attend next fall. The University of Alabama is currently my top choice. Earlier this year I would not have considered myself a fan of the Tide, but after visiting a few months ago, something about it felt like I was at home. The campus was amazing, the dorms looked great, and the atmosphere seemed very inviting. I am an Alabama resident as well, so I receive in-state tuition (and I also qualify for scholarships), so its reduced cost for all it offers also plays a part in it being my top choice. Really academics, programs, and opportunities lured me in. I am currently interested in majoring in Creative Media at UA and (hopefully) becoming a member of the MDB (hands down one of the best bands around). I’m also not interested in going Greek (partially for the reason I’m about to ask about, and also because it just isn’t me).
I love UA, but I am concerned about potential racial tension at the school. I know that since there are nearly 40,000 students it’s really hard to know what to expect, and, obviously, there are going to be a few bad apples, but I was just curious what experiences others have had? I am an African-American male student, but I do come from an area that is predominately white (my school probably has around 20% of blacks attending and I have had classes where I was the only non-white student, so I’m used to the split) and I have not ever encountered any racism (towards me, at least) at my school or around town. Certain things don’t necessarily phase me, but I also don’t want to walk into a trap.
I know I have heard of many instances recently (some even as recent as yesterday with an A-A Frat), and I wanted to take that into consideration while I decide the next step in my education career. I know Alabama’s history (both the state and the school) and the impacts it has had, but I also don’t want to let its history blindly cover the potential I can have as a student at the school.
Your experiences/comments are greatly appreciated. I really just want to make the most out of my college experience without having to worry about my skin color and figure out if the Tide is worth it!
I do think there still some mostly symbolic but still improper barriers and issues that may bother you but, as a whole, Alabama has come farther than some schools up North. I think there is an awareness because of Alabama’s past that keeps the school on its toes on these issues. I think your positive attitude (Meaning an awareness that any college is going to have a certain number of idiots that do no understand it is 2018 and that you need to look at the forest and not just a few ugly but loud trees) will make it a good experience for you.
Texas is different than the Deep South with respect to this concern.
With respect to UA, you should not experience any cases of overt racism unless in a situation involving lots of alcohol.
Recently (within the past couple of years) an UA sorority girl from New Jersey made national headlines for her racist comments shared on a YouTube video. The sorority expelled her & she left UA (not clear as to whether it was her own choice or due to action by UA–but there were & are freedom of speech concerns in punishing one for airing their views regardless of how vulgar).
Hello! I definitely understand all of your worries. Being an African American male myself you have no choice but to think about it and your parents/family members bring it up as well. We seem to have been cut from the same cloth as I come from a predominantly white school system myself even though it was still pretty diverse. UA is an outstanding place and I now call it home. I have had so many opportunities that I feel like my race has barely hindered me in the slightest. Like you said there are a few bad apples unfortunately, but with some of the cases we had last year you can see that the university responds quickly and doesn’t tolerate someone who doesn’t represent the capstone creed or embody inclusivity. You will not have a problem making friends and getting involved(definitely speaking from experience as I’m in MDB as well and most of my best friends are in it with me) and Get On Board Day in August will help you with that as well. You will have plenty of opportunity to thrive here, make friends, and get the education you seek, I promise. So don’t feel like you’re walking into a trap because I can tell you from experience, that you’re walking into your new home away from home! Roll Tide man and let me know if you have any other worries!!
@Publisher I am interested in how you see Texas as different than Deep South. My son is applying to schools in Texas and in the Deep South, but he hails from California. Are you saying that encounters with racism are more prevalent in Texas?
Keep in mind that many of the “instances” are hoaxes or never happened. For example, just 2 years ago, an SJW star at UA, who in fact wrote for the HuffPost (first name was Amanda, forgot her last name) appeared in a video that went viral in which she said that when Obama won, Blacks at UA were attacked and had their doors kicked in.
Skeptical of this story, I checked with the Tuscaloosa News and they could find absolutely no evidence that anything like this had occurred. The only thing they could find was that an Obama poster on a Black faculty member’s door had been defaced.
And keep in mind that racial attacks are usually Black on White per FBI stats. UA has one of the highest numbers of Black enrollments and Black faculty in the nation. If UA was a bastion of racism, would there really be so many Black students and faculty there?
The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa reports that 10% of the undergraduate student body is black, 78% white, 2% international, 1% Asian, 4% Hispanic & 3% multiracial.
One of the more publicized ones was the sorority segregation scandal, which definitely was not a hoax. However, since the OP is not that interested in fraternities and sororities, segregation in them (which is definitely not unique to Alabama or schools in the south, but rather widespread) may be less of a concern.
What is considered a bias crime is very much driven by ideology and politics. But I do wonder, why the intent behind the “attack” matters. An attack is an attack right? Also, are those incidents of bias or hate crimes actual violence or just mean words? I don’t mean to imply that mean words are ok, but can you find one instance of any White UA student physically attacking a Black student or visitor?
If Blacks are far more likely to attack a White for any reason than the reverse, why is that not a concern too? If I am attacked, I care not whether someone trying to steal from me, rape me, etc is doing it cause they don’t like my race. I care about being attacked!
Why is the attention on racial attacks almost always framed as White on Black or some other minority when FBI stats clearly show that Blacks are far more likely to commit interracial attacks (again, of any reason)? This is one of those facts of life that people who claim to want a “dialogue” about race want to ignore.
As for the Greek segregation scandal, you are correct, however, it should be known that the true scandal was that the members of the sorority wanted to integrate while their adviser was not willing to let it happen.
It should also be noted that UA now (after its admin acted with rapidity) has an integrated Greek system, and that its system is more integrated than that of many other state flagships around the nation, despite the fact that it has a very proud and robust African American Greek tradition.
@Atlanta68@ucbalumnus Assuming that racial bias among students exists, as it does on plenty of campuses around the nation, what is your sense of how proactive the administration at UA is in addressing the issue?
I personally received a call from then President Judy Bonner assuring me that they were taking action to correct the problem when the sorority scandal took place. However, I actually think the admin made a mistake went it caved into demands to hire a Diversity Officer. Offices of Diversity are well known to be costly rackets. I want UA to admit the brightest students, regardless of race. I want all students at UA to feel like they are part of the UA family. I think UA has taken great strides to achieve that, but hiring a Diversity Officer was a mistake.
I don’t think the UA Greek system is integrated. The fraternities might be doing a better job, but the PanHel sororities are still mainly white, and might have Asian and Hispanic members, but very few blacks and as far as I know no non-black members in the historically black sororities. This may be by choice of the members, but hard to say it is an integrated system.
To the OP, you are a black male and do not want to join a fraternity. You may have trouble finding a social group if so many of your dorm mates and classmates are joining. The many Greek groups are a huge part of the social life at UA for the traditional 18-19 year old freshmen. Don’t reject the possibility of joining without looking into it. There are a lot of choices, with some based on interests (music, religion, engineering) while others are purely social.
I don’t see sororities and fraternities ever being integrated, and that’s by choice. The historically black sororities and fraternities have a rich history and strong community, and I don’t see blacks wanting to join the others in droves any time soon.
@Quismo Glad to hear your good experiences. Are you in the Greek system or have you had any negative experiences personally?
I will definitely keep UA on my radar!
Is it really more difficult to join a social group without being in a frat? I’ve read that many students are Greek, but there are also many who are not also. Definitely not throwing it out completely yet, but as of now, it is not something that interests me.
I heard of that incident also. To me, it did sound somewhat obsurd, but I figured I would have heard of it sooner. Some people can blow things out of proportion without backstory, so that is a reason why I wanted to ask here.