<p>Well, we’ll just have to differ. They described in detail (by income, race, etc.) who are members of which clubs, who are members of fraternities, where athletes are to be found, all based on either the entire student body, or large surveys with robust sample sizes. They described the drinking climate and how folks feel about it, how students associate with each other, how people enter into social arrangements with each other, and who is most likely to be in what kind of social arrangement, both inside and outside of the clubs. They looked at who is in apartments, coops, and residential colleges. They looked at various levels of satisfaction at the university. I know of virtually no other report - anywhere, at any college or university - that describes campus culture in such detail.</p>
<p>But I think you are correct about the issue of “prevailing campus culture”. The more exclusive eating clubs - and its members - who tend to be wealthier, whiter, more athletic, and tending toward fraternity membership - set the tone for the rest of the campus. AND there are lots of students apparently who feel somewhat disenfranchised by that prevailing culture, and the university - to its profound credit - is seeking ways to deal with that. </p>
<p>To argue that every individual experiences cultures differently does not mean that the cultures don’t exist.</p>