The 2013-14 school year marks the 50th anniversary of Auburn University's integration, an event noted for its relative peacefulness in comparison to other universities in the south.
Though institutional segregation is now a thing of the past, some at Auburn feel there is an unspoken segregation that divides much of campus, prompting organizations to renew their efforts to integrate the University more thoroughly.
"From my experience, there seems to be an underground culture, at least for black people," said Franklin Deese, Liberal Arts representative for the Student Government Association. "Coming here, the instinctive thing to do is stick to the people and the cultures that you know, and when there aren't that many specifically black people in, say, SGA or another organization, they're less inclined to go there or do that because you're with that group."
Minority groups comprise just 14 percent of all students at Auburn, a decent chunk of the population, but a portion that often lacks members and visibility in campus organizations like SGA and the University Program Council.
Initiatives set forward by the Black Student Union in partnership with the office of student affairs and campus involvement strive to make those environments more welcoming to diverse groups.
"We just have to be deliberate as members of a minority group," Deese said. "Be deliberate in our actions and say, 'Well, I am going to do this because there aren't that many people who look like me doing it.'"
BSU, once committed specifically to improving the lives of black students, now sees itself as a voice for all underrepresented groups on campus.
From organizing multicultural events to movie parties, BSU is taking advantage of its role as spokesperson for the minority community to assimilate outside groups and independents within the same university mantle.
" [The] black student union isn't just for black students, it's for Caucasian students, Hispanic students, any kind of student," said Ebony Alfrod, junior in biomedical science.
"Our organization was created to give owever, according to Alfrod, desegregating campus institutions isn't an anomaly at Auburn.
"We're working with other schools like Tuskegee and Alabama and the University of Georgia to bring some of their ideas in and share some of ours with them to see how we can broaden our diversity here," Alfrod said.
Those initiatives are to bring out Auburn's on-campus diversity to returning students, as well as incoming freshman, who may be considering attending traditionally black schools.
Integrating Auburn goes beyond improving the school's image, however.
The most important developments must come from the upperclassmen who hold the power to cross lines and take positions of leadership in places deemed undesirable by African Americans and other minorities in the past, according to BSU adviser Charus Campbell.
"The opportunity at Auburn is available to all students from all backgrounds and walks of life to kind of interact with each other, and I think [that's] what we're seeing," Campbell said.
"It's just a matter of making sure those things continue [and] making sure that students know about them and are interested in them. We can continue to integrate and continue to make things happen."
BSU has its own advisory board that works in conjunction with the University's advisory council to address possible injustices or adversities students might experience on campus.
However, Campbell said the problems cannot be solved until students take the initiative.
Feelings of frustration or stifling by organizations can be addressed by talking to key members, taking the initiative to overcome those obstacles and working within the organization to promote change and are ideal solutions to the question of diversity on campus, according to Campbell.
"Are there barriers," Campbell said. "Are they perceived or real? We need to figure out what the issues are."
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