Campus Balkanization and Segregation

The sustained demographic shift within the United States toward greater racial diversity has changed not only the composition of student bodies but also the racial dynamics on college campuses. On many campuses where there has been an increase in diversity, undergraduate students still frequently find themselves socializing more often with same-race peers, despite the increased potential to develop more cross-racial friendships. In her work, Beverly Tatum has highlighted the many factors that contribute to this type of campus segregation, or [Page 288]balkanization, of individuals by racial and ethnic backgrounds. To further explore how increased diversity affects students' patterns of association and dispositions toward racial balkanization, this entry focuses on the manner in which undergraduates voluntarily align themselves into different student organizations.