Housing figures show disparities

Despite student and administrative promises to increase residential diversity, racial and ethnic segregation still plagues Duke dorms and campuses, according to this fall's housing statistics, recently released by the Office of Student Development.

Compiled annually by Assistant Dean of Student Development Bill Burig, the numbers illustrate a continued lack of diversity among certain selective housing groups, as well as a disproportionately high percentage of minorities on North and Central campuses.

"This validates a pattern that has emerged over multiple years and reflects similar trends across the University," said Barbara Baker, dean of student development. "Every person who looks at this can draw different types of conclusions."

While 62.1 percent of all residential students are white, 80.4 percent of fraternity residents and 57.8 percent of non-fraternal selective house members are white. Two years ago, when such statistics were first calculated, 61.8 percent of all residents were white. Just over 80 percent of fraternity members and 62.4 percent of non-fraternal selective house members were white.

"Clearly some living groups, particularly non-fraternities, are becoming more diverse," Burig said. "But the vast majority of fraternities haven't changed at all."

This year, Asians comprise 15.4 percent of the residential student body, but only 4.9 percent of residential fraternity members; 4.9 percent of all residents are Hispanic, whereas only 3.1 percent of fraternity residents are; and 10.5 percent of all residents are black, compared to 3.9 percent of all fraternity residents, over half of whom are in the all-black Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Three fraternities are about 90 percent white.

By contrast, non-fraternal selective houses are slightly more diverse, with a membership that is 20 percent Asian, 7.1 percent black and 5.8 percent Hispanic.

But senior Chris Dieterich, president of the Interfraternity Council, downplayed the meaning of the statistics and said IFC is not planning to actively recruit minorities in the near future.

Dieterich de-emphasized the importance of racial and ethnic diversity, noting that fraternities are diverse in other ways, such as talents and convictions. He added that the numbers are misleading because the presence of only a few minority students could drastically change the percentages.

"Like it or not, you're going to meet people from other ethnicities, whether they're across the hall or across the quad," Dieterich said. "Does it really change my college experience if my roommate is a different ethnicity than I am?"

Two years ago, then-IFC president Stephen Broderick, Trinity '99 committed to increasing minority representation in fraternities by reaching out to groups such as the Black Student Alliance and the Asian Students Association. IFC abandoned the idea the following spring, calling it too superficial.

The addition of more minority-oriented fraternities would help, Dieterich said, but he added that the current residential system makes it difficult for such groups to get housing on West Campus.

"The big questions and answers relate back to a lot of things that go back for generations at Duke," he said.

Denis Antoine, president of the Black Student Alliance, said many minorities are drawn to National Panhellenic Council fraternities because IFC fraternities are not "geared" toward them.

"In order to fit in on West, you seem to have to be a part of a selective house," the senior said. "It creates a stigma and a feeling of unwelcomeness."

Perhaps related to the racial make-up of fraternities and selective houses is the make-up of West, Central and North campuses. Several administrators agreed that the homogeneity of such houses trickles down to other areas of campus and perpetuates even more segregation.

"Obviously if you pull out certain groups of students, that's going to leave people behind," Burig said.

The black student population on Central has been steadily rising the last three years, with black students making up 25.6 percent of the campus; two years ago, the group made up 21.1 percent of Central residents. Also unusually high is the percentage of Main West that is white-67.2 this year and 68.6 two years ago-and the percentage of Trent that is Asian-23.7 this year and 24.5 two years ago.

"It probably has something to do with the selective housing tradition," Vice President for Student Affairs Jim Clack said. "I think it's natural that when people choose where to live they choose people like themselves."

Noting that a major change in the residential structure would be required to alter the current situation, several administrators said that no reforms would likely take place before the completion of the West-Edens Link Dormitory. Once the new dorm is completed, Burig said, administrators will attempt to recreate the atmosphere of East Campus on West, by trying to keep students in the same class living close to one another. He hopes this measure will allow them to preserve the relative diversity of first-year dormitories.

"One of the real sad things of our residential experience is that first-year relationships don't always carry over to the next year," Burig said. "And by the end of sophomore year, a lot of opportunity is lost."

However, he and other officials walk a very thin line in their evaluation of diversity in the residential system, cautioning that they do not want to become too involved in students' choices of where to live.

"We should always look for ways to improve the student experience," Clack said. "But students should have a great deal to say about who they live with. We just have to encourage them to expand their horizons."

But they also want to make dorm life comfortable and accepting, Clack said, and the best way to go about that is still not known.

"If the distribution of houses on campus perpetuates the traditions of the past, are we in fact meeting the needs of students?" Burig asked. "I'm not sure we are."