ABOUT a month ago, a flood of first-year students arrived on grounds to move into dorms. Many of them headed to McCormick. Others went to Alderman. Some trekked to Hereford. They exchanged greetings with their hallmates or suitemates -- the earliest members of their college life. And in a single day, the entire first year class settled into their new homes. Unfortunately, year after year, in this annual migration of first years, a reoccurring pattern emerges: A disproportionate number of minority students end up in New Dorms.
This fall, 70 percent of African-American first years live in Alderman Road dorms; only 15 percent live in McCormick. Similarly, 64 percent of Asian-American first years are New Dorms residents; just over a fifth live in Old Dorms. In all, minority and international students make up roughly 40 percent of the New Dorms population; they compose only 19 percent of Old Dorms residents. These numbers reflect an ongoing trend. In 2006, for example, only 36 black students lived in McCormick. In 2003, 44 did. These disturbing findings have sparked many discussions and debates, but ultimately, nothing has changed.
The lack of diversity in McCormick is not the result of racist administrators determined to segregate dorms. Rather, we segregate ourselves. Dorm assignments are generated by computer, but they take students' preferences into account. Following recommendations from high school friends or siblings, most white students rank McCormick first; most minority and international students select Alderman. And as students receive their top choices, the perpetual cycle of demographic imbalance continues.
On the surface, the current system does not seem to pose a major problem. It simply attempts to satisfy as many first years as possible. It grants them the freedom of choice. Furthermore, as minority students' organizations have argued in years past, the concentrated population of minorities in New Dorms allows for a greater sense of community among minority students. Many minority and international students prefer this arrangement.
But the benefits of more diverse dorms outweigh the advantages of our current system. College offers a rare opportunity to learn from peers with different life stories and experiences. While it sounds clichéd, these experiences can dramatically alter students' world-views but only after continued interaction with classmates from different backgrounds. African-American, white, and Asian first years should live together on the same hall. Students from inside Virginia should share a common room with students from outside the country. Engineers and English majors should be able to swap stories in a dorm room. Unfortunately, unrestricted housing choice conflicts with these goals.
After first year dorms, most students move into dorms or apartments with close friends. They lose contact with the many classmates they saw only occasionally. They remain in clubs and organizations, but these groups often attract students with similar interests and backgrounds. Cultural organizations, religious groups, fraternities, and many other organizations on grounds reflect this tendency. The unfortunate reality is that University students often isolate themselves within homogenous groups with whom they feel most comfortable.
In this environment, first-year housing offers an incredibly important -- perhaps the most important -- opportunity for students to befriend and learn from classmates with different cultures, backgrounds and viewpoints. The University cannot mandate that students join certain groups or take specific classes. But it can diversify dorms. It can ensure that African-Americans will not compose just four percent of McCormick residents. It can promote year-long interaction among students from different backgrounds.
Fortunately, improving diversity in dorms does not require eliminating first-year housing choice. A push to end housing choice would be difficult. It would lead to many debates with few results. Students have good reasons to prefer certain dorms, and few would opt to have no choice in the matter. However, the University's plans to build more hall-style dorms in the Alderman area allows for an alternative solution: the University should change the dorm options to a choice between hall-style and suite-style -- rather than between McCormick and Alderman. Building and Grounds Committee Co-chair Matt Schrimper supports this option because it would still give students a "clear choice in their desired living environment."
At first, the switch to a choice between hall- and suite-style dorms would not induce major change, but it would be an easy step in the right direction. It would still permit a large degree of choice, but display a real commitment to diversity at the University. And as the Alderman construction continues, students would be less able to base their housing choice on the stereotypes of Alderman and McCormick dorms. Gradually, diversity in dorms would improve.
The University boasts a diverse student body and an ongoing commitment to diversity. This year, a third of the first-year students come from underrepresented backgrounds -- setting a new school record. However, admissions numbers conceal a less diverse reality. If students live, eat and work in homogenous groups, the overall diversity of the student body does not matter. An undergraduate education should not aim to make each student feel as comfortable as possible. Rather, at times, it should place us outside our comfort zones. First-year housing could bring together students who otherwise would never interact on grounds. It could promote true diversity at an institution which is far too divided. But first, our current housing system must change.
John Nelson is a Cavalier Daily viewpoint writer.
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