<p>I’ll more then likely be goin to richmond next fall, and i’m excited. however as a black student i’ve sort of been shaky on the whole social scene at richmond. The frat&sorority thing is heavy there but not overly dominant, and so i know i can survive happily. The black student body is not so large as you would assume, only 4%. Personally, i’ve been through environments and situations similar to this and have made the best of it, and the majortiy of the time it was hardly a problem.but after hearing sum things from students in school and an article online of a past richmond student, i’m startin to rethink my decision. This article talked of a "fly in a milk bowl syndrome’’ (black student surrounded by overwhelming large white student body), and the black alumni went as far as to say that if giving the option to reapply to richmond, he would not. That to me is serious. the case is that most black alumni’s say they felt isolated during their time at richmond. </p>
<pre><code> heres some of what he said,
</code></pre>
<p>“One rainy Saturday night during my junior yearbored, broke and stuck on the University of Richmond campus for another weekendI gathered my courage and did something I had promised myself I would not do again. I went to a party on Fraternity Row.
When I walked in the door, I wished I had stayed in my dorm room. Once again, I was a fly in the milk bowl.
The music was loud. A thin film of tracked-in mud and spilled beer covered the floor. I didnt know any of the frat boys drinking at the keg. None of the girls made eye contactnot even the ones Id met before in classand my white football teammates were too busy pounding beers and making passes. I called it an early night.
Crossing the Robins Center parking lot on another lonely walk home, a familiar feeling settled into my gut. At that moment, it felt like the basic truth of my time at Richmond: I was an outsider, a middle-class black kid on a football scholarship in an affluent, overwhelmingly white, private school.”</p>
<p>I know this is only one viewpoint and it doesnt stand much weight, but when you have most black alumni’s feeling or experiencing similar things, then yes it does say a lot. I’m aware that there is some form of racism at every university, and that it is sadly part of life. I also know that i’m strong and versatile enough to transcend race or socioeconomic obstacles. but i also went to enjoy my four years of college, for the most part. I geuss i would like some advice or somekind of response from people with similar experiences and how they have dealt with them. To me the benefits of attending richmond outway not attending because of the student body population. Most that turn down richmond are said to because of diversity issues. So am I missing the magnitude of the issue at hand, based on the aforementioned claim?</p>