<p>On a youtube video from TheU.com there is a video about the social scene at Duke... and they mentioned there is a racial, ethnic and social segregation on campus. </p>
<p>After googling "racism" and "duke" a lot of articles came up. </p>
<p>I would fully expect that the university does not promote this, but do students actually tend to segregate themselves on campus? </p>
<p>Are people attracted to Duke because they are looking for this kind of atmosphere or do they stumble upon it once they arrive on campus? </p>
<p>I read in the USNews rankings that around 42% of the Duke student body participates in greek life. Do the sororities and frat houses naturally segregate by race, ethnicity and/or money? </p>
<p>Just wondering what the social scene is really like there. If a white student attends, will there be a social pressure to hang out with only white students?</p>
<p>you think that “…people will tend to gather with others who look the same…” </p>
<p>Only if people were raised and educated to differentiate people based on how they “look.” This is not a “natural” behavior in people who were raised in a diverse, multi-cultural and multi-racial environment.</p>
<p>My D has friends who are from foreign countries as well as all ethnic backgrounds - Asian, Hispanic, Black, etc. However, she has commented that many of her black friends tell her they were so thrilled to find so many other black students with whom they had some of the same interests that they sometimes found themselves only hanging out with other blacks. This surprised them as in high school they had friends of different ethnic backgrounds. Many of her black friends have had to make an effort to join groups that are diversified.</p>
<p>Many of the international students are from the same country and since they cannot go home for many of the breaks they tend to travel together over the holidays when most students go home. This is their chance to see more of the United States as well as other countries in North, Central and South America. It’s only natural that they develop closer friendships through their travel planning and experiences.</p>
<p>I think most elite schools like to try to diversify the student base. With that said it does not mean that everyone hangs out with each other, but you find your circle of friends. My S attends and he has an eccelctic group of friends from India, China, and even strange places like “California”. His HS was very diverse and he had friends from a wide variety of enthnic, religious and racial backgrouds. I am sure you would find people just like him there. At any school you could find a kid whose background may be such that they do harbor some predjudices. Maybe by exposure you learn that those predjudices were always wrong and this opens your mind up to other possibilities. Maybe the possibility of this allows for the possibility that such a student will, after graduation go back to their hometown and challenge others to think differently. But just like HS you will find popular kids who have clicks, the beautiful people, the nerdy people, etc. etc. etc. Just like high School. I was at Harvard and met a grad student who I spoke with and asked about all the incredible contacts he must be making…his response- do you really think the rich CEO kids hang out with the rest of us?</p>
<p>Wow, I have the same issue. I worry that there will be pressure for me to hang out with only Asians. </p>
<p>Here’s what I learned from visiting for Blue Devil Days: Frats and sororities are mostly white, with a small smattering of minorities. There are frats specific to black students. There is an Asian sorority. While most people I met had at least a couple of friends outside their own race, people still tend to hang out with others who look like them. </p>
<p>Racial self-segregation’s going to happen anywhere, but when I visited Duke I felt like it was somewhat stronger than it is in my (New Jersey) high school. It’s one of the major things keeping me unsure about Duke right now.</p>