Editor’s note: This article is part of a series of articles that attempt to take a closer look at the impact of this year’s decrease in minority enrollment on the campus.

Michael Elavsky, a doctorial candidate in communications at the University, tries to get to the heart of issues surrounding race in his Communications 101 class.

“Does racism still exist here on campus?” he asked.

Of the students who responded, a white student said organizations on campus that used the description “black” or any other minority labeling in their title were creating reverse segregation.

“Whites would never be able to get away with that,” said the student, who, like many other students contacted for this article, refused to give her name.

Some white students in the class agreed.

This year, minority enrollment at the University has fallen significantly – including a 32 percent drop among African Americans, a 24 percent drop among American Indians and a 4 percent drop among Latino students, according to a University report released last semester. Some members of minority-based registered student organizations said this decline in enrollment has made minority organizations a necessity to add diversity in a predominately white campus and provide support for students of color at the University.

African-American and other minority-based organizations and programs promote cultural identity and diversity, some minority students said. But some white students said the University is entering a new era of segregation – one that excludes whites.

“I can sense the annoyance in people’s voices,” said Student Support Services counselor Roy Saldana, Jr., when describing how some whites respond whenever he discusses the Office of Minority Student Affairs (OMSA). He said some students feel minorities get special privileges. However, Saldana said many minorities need programs such as OMSA because they are academically behind as a result of ripple effects coming from historical oppression and under-funded high schools that have not properly prepared them for college.

White students often don’t join organizations or participate in events that appear to be minority-based, leaders of minority groups said. However, leaders disagree on why this happens.

“Sometimes the titles of our events can be somewhat misleading,” said Jerald Gary, sophomore in LAS and vice-president of the Central Black Student Union (CBSU). “For example, African-American homecoming – a lot of people think, ‘Well, that’s a black event and only black people can come.'” However, he said, all races were welcomed and some participated in the activities that were held.

The Association of Hispanic Journalists (AHJ) also welcomes journalists of all races, but only has a few white members. The organization tries to help Latinos adjust to technical differences, such as language barriers and encourages understanding of Latino culture. However, AHJ president Cesar Rodriguez said anyone is welcomed to join.

Sundiata Cha-Jua, director of the Afro-American Studies Research Program (AASRP), said white students who claim minority groups and events are examples of reverse racism are misinformed.

“We name things simply as a matter of reflecting cultural source,” Cha-Jua said. “So in a very real sense, what we have is a kind of selective ignorance and arrogance on the part of some white students who make these uninformed comments.”

Some white students said they felt that they wouldn’t feel comfortable at a minority-based organization meeting.

Carolyn Tomchik, a white senior in engineering and a member of PRIDE, said she would go to a minority-based organizational meeting if it was of interest to her. But, she said, she would still feel uneasy and feel like “she was crashing the party.”

Sophomore in LAS Emily Kaffel, who is also white, agreed. Although Kaffel said she doesn’t see minority-based organizations in a negative light, she would feel she was intruding if she did attend a meeting because she isn’t of the same race.

“I feel like it’s not my place to go,” she said.

Janelle Williams, a junior in communications and a white member of Black Course, said idealistically, minority-based groups would be outdated, but realistically there is still a need for outlets where minorities can feel accepted and create diversity.

However, she said some whites often question her membership because they feel these clubs create inequality for white students and are only for minorities.

While initially nervous to join the choir, Williams said after attending a session she found that “Black Course does not close their doors to anyone.”

Michael Sandretto, an Italian who is the adviser for the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) at the University, said students should not be discouraged from joining an organization because of its name, because groups such as his focus on much more than just race. He described NABA as a professional group, one that is willing to teach any student – white or black- how to make better career choices.

University journalism professor John Fountain argues that minority-based groups do not detest “whiteness,” but rather, provide a vehicle by which minority students are free to corporately acknowledge their continuous struggle for justice.

African Americans have not reached the point where they are treated equally, so these groups are still necessary to support blacks in racially discriminated environments, said Philip France, Jr., a junior in LAS and former CBSU president. France, who is black, recalled an incident last year when a doorman refused to let him inside what he called a “white” fraternity party because the party was too crowded, even though he knew people there and other whites were allowed in after he left.

Tatiana Baltsevitch, a junior in business, said she was not excluded from a Stepper’s Set, dance lessons hosted by the African American Homecoming Committee. However, she said she once attended a Chinese New Year celebration at Northwestern University, and felt everyone was focusing on her because she was the only white person attending. She said she felt excluded mostly because she did not know much about Chinese culture, which she said might be the reason some students are reluctant to attend events hosted by people of another ethnic group.

When people of color congregate, it can be threatening to some whites, because it can appear that these groups have information and opportunities that whites don’t have access to, said Kent Ono, University director of Asian American Studies.

Cha-Jua said any person is welcome at the AASRP house and other black organizations and events. If someone chooses not to explore the option, it is simply because he or she has given into the stereotypical and negative thoughts about these types of programs, as well as African-American people, he said.

“If you look at history, segregation was a system in which the white population in general excluded African Americans from basic privileges of citizenship – the right to vote, the right to use public facilities, he said. “There is no history of African Americans establishing a system by which they have discriminated against others.”