Let’s point out the obvious: Colgate University is a predominantly white institution (PWI). According to Colgate’s demographics on the Fall 2023 student population report, approximately 65 percent of students on this campus identify as white. In addition, Colgate University teaches and houses some of the richest students in the United States. According to an article in The New York Times, 77 percent of students come from the top 20 percent, with the median family income of a Colgate student coming out to $270,200 as of 2017. In short, Colgate is a pretty rich, pretty white and pretty privileged school.

However, reading these statistics shocked me. I knew coming to Colgate that a lot of people here are rich and white, but I didn’t think the numbers were this big. Oddly enough, even though these people represent the majority of the student body, I think that many students from underrepresented backgrounds can agree that they don’t interact much with these groups on campus. 

For that reason, I think the Colgate community very clearly demonstrates self-segregation. What is self-segregation? To understand the phenomena, it is important to define segregation, which, according to Britannica, is “the practice of restricting people to certain circumscribed areas of residence or to separate institutions (e.g., schools, churches) and facilities (parks, playgrounds, restaurants, restrooms) on the basis of race or alleged race.” Self-segregation involves the separation of groups of particular identities, but rather than being required, it occurs naturally. How does this manifest in the Colgate community? Let me tell you about it.

Based on my experiences of attending events and conversations with those I share spaces with, we rarely see the white or the rich attend or even be interested in social events hosted by cultural groups like the Black Student Union (BSU), the Latin American Student Organization (LASO) and Queer and Trans People of Color (QTPOC). There’s nuance to a conversation like this. These are groups that provide critical spaces for students of color to share their similar experiences and having an influx of privileged students randomly appear can threaten that valuable exchange. However, the reason why these students don’t appear at these events is unclear. In my view, perhaps some abstain from attending because they don’t want to dominate a space that is meant to empower underrepresented communities or maybe the lack of attendance comes from disinterest? My guess leans towards disinterest.

Given the apparent lack of white students at these events, I wonder where this disinterest or avoidance comes from. It’s not like these organizations — or the University for that matter — don’t advertise these events. These events appear on the Colgate Events Calendar, Get Involved and the organizations’ respective Instagram accounts. Each group reposts each other’s events as a way to reach different audiences. There’s no way to make the excuse that no one says anything about these events because people, organizations and entire platforms actively display these events to students. While I think Colgate could be much better about uplifting underrepresented communities on this campus, I have to give the school credit for their work on encouraging conversations about diversity. So, it’s not entirely the school’s fault either.

In my opinion, there are two primary causes that could explain what I see as a potent separation between the privileged and the underrepresented on Colgate’s campus: self-preservation and white supremacy.

From what I see, self-preservation is a motivation that both the majority and the minority act on. People — myself included — tend to seek comfort in social settings by forming groups with similar experiences, as I mentioned before. For those in underrepresented communities, self-preservation is understandable. Those in high-income households, according to The Cut writer Drake Baer, perceive the world much differently than those in low-income households and white students, according to a Pew Center Research study, perceive the world much differently than students of color. To me, it makes sense why students of color want tight-knit communities as they want to develop collective strength at PWIs, but white students already have strength in numbers; they are already made comfortable at Colgate. While what appears to be a lack of dialogue happening between different communities at Colgate may be implicit and something white students aren’t aware of, I believe it’s a subtle reflection of the long-lasting norm of white supremacy is prevalent in our society, as explained by historian Donald Yacovone in his article on how white supremacy has become ingrained in the American education system.

While this might not be an unpopular opinion, it is one I believe often remains unwritten as it is a topic that is extremely sensitive and not easy for one to accept. While these topics may be difficult to discuss, it is important to acknowledge this discomfort to make room for productive conversation and change.