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Lucas admitted that he would be less likely to interact across racial/ethnic lines in settings excluding work and volunteer sites. Lucas refered to interacting with racially diverse people as a tool for academic and career advancement. He did not express other benefits related to racial diversity.

If any unsuspecting person stumbled upon the quad area of the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign), one may discover that certain physical spaces have been “hijacked” by certain racial/ethnic groups.

There are many university spaces that have invisible boundaries; boundaries that members of different racial/ethnic groups rarely cross. The university’s public space has been severely racialized. There are places within the university that are branded “black” or “Latino” and “Asian” spaces.

I now realized that I must insert common interests into the equation. It is both university spaces as well as common interests that help facilitate and encourage interaction across racial/ethnic lines. Common interests whether they are academic or social in nature, link people of diverse cultures together. Common interests are a uniting force in this campus community.

Through this site observation I reaffirmed my belief that the residence halls are in fact a place through which meaningful interaction occurs across racial/ethnic lines. Within the dining hall I witnessed diverse racial interaction amongst the students who were dining as well as with student workers.

At the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign), a place where diversity is a mere component of the university’s rhetoric, it would be completely natural and understandable for minorities to self-segregate themselves into small support networks. In these small support groups racial and ethnic minorities discover racial solidarity and identity at this predominantly white institution.

University's around the nation should attempt to capitalize upon this idea of uniting people together through shared interest and physical spaces. With this knowledge of how space, race, and common interest are intertwined a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic community can emerge amongst the campus community.



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	The reason I choose to concentrate my research study upon racial/ethnic interactions in various university spaces is because I have noticed that certain places within the campus community attract students from very racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds.
	Has the university’s space been racialized?
	In which university spaces are students more likely to interact across racial/ethnic lines?
	Does the quality of interaction vary within these university spaces?
	What conditions or characteristics of spaces encourage interaction?
	Which racial/ethnic groups are more likely to interact with each other?
	Self-segregation can be witnessed in almost any university space. So, where would a person who wishes to meet people of a different racial/ethnic group go to find such a diverse mix?


	A white male and African American female dine together. They appear to be a couple. They are seated across from each other and there is apparent flirting as they are joined by a white female.
	Lucas admitted that he would be less likely to interact across racial/ethnic lines in settings excluding work and volunteer sites. Lucas refered to interacting with racially diverse people as a tool for academic and career advancement. He did not express other benefits related to racial diversity.
	My interview with Brooke showed me that the experience of an African-American from a upper middle class family was much different from the experience of a black person from the lower class. In her interview she talks of the small number of minorities yet alone African-Americans, "So when I see one of us, I try to get a converstaion going". Brooke seems to be very proud of being one of the very few minorities in the Cinema Studies program.
	If any unsuspecting person stumbled upon the quad area of the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign), one may discover that certain physical spaces have been “hijacked” by certain racial/ethnic groups.
	There are many university spaces that have invisible boundaries; boundaries that members of different racial/ethnic groups rarely cross. The university’s public space has been severely racialized. There are places within the university that are branded “black” or “Latino” and “Asian” spaces.
	Another idea that was prompted through this observation is that maybe it isn't just locations that encourage interaction across racial/ethnic groups. Maybe common interest is a better facilitator of interactions across racial lines.


	I now realized that I must insert common interests into the equation. It is both university spaces as well as common interests that help facilitate and encourage interaction across racial/ethnic lines. Common interests whether they are academic or social in nature, link people of diverse cultures together. Common interests are a uniting force in this campus community.
	Through this site observation I reaffirmed my belief that the residence halls are in fact a place through which meaningful interaction occurs across racial/ethnic lines. Within the dining hall I witnessed diverse racial interaction amongst the students who were dining as well as with student workers.
	At the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign), a place where diversity is a mere component of the university’s rhetoric, it would be completely natural and understandable for minorities to self-segregate themselves into small support networks. In these small support groups racial and ethnic minorities discover racial solidarity and identity at this predominantly white institution.
	University's around the nation should attempt to capitalize upon this idea of uniting people together through shared interest and physical spaces. With this knowledge of how space, race, and common interest are intertwined a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic community can emerge amongst the campus community.