University Center seating 'subconsciously' segregated

The University Center is a popular place for many students to eat in-between classes. However, the first noticeable thing when walking into the eating area are two distinguishing sides—on the east side, African-American students sit and eat, and on the west side, white students sit and eat. Some University of Memphis students wonder why the two cultures separate themselves while eating.

“A year ago I was with these girls who are part of the Panhellenic sororities and we were in the UC. I asked if they wanted to sit over there [the African-American side] and one of the girls said ‘Oh no, I don’t want to sit there. That’s the jungle,’â€

Jamal Jones, senior and member of Kappa Alpha Psi, said. “ I asked her what she meant by that and she claimed she called it the jungle because it’s wild over there.â€

 Other students feel the separation is unintentional.

“I think it’s more of a subconscious choice,†Amber Strong, sophomore and special events chair for the Black Student Association, said. “People normally make friends with whoever they’re similar to. So, it doesn’t surprise me that the two sides are separated. I’ve noticed since my freshman year everyone kind of separates themselves. If you’re not friends with someone, you’re not going to sit with them, especially if you don’t know them.â€

  Steven Miller, senior at the U of M, said he’s also noticed the separation since his freshman year. 

“It’s something we see every day, but we just ignore,†Miller said. “When I was a freshman me and my friends would always talk to each other about why there’s even a black and white side. It’s crazy because everyone subliminally knows about it, but everyone just chooses to not talk about it, but why not discuss it? There’s a reason for it. It’s either racially driven or it’s subconsciously driven. I think more subconsciously. I feel like everyone is scared to sit on the other side because they’re afraid they’ll be judged.â€Â 

Erica Jenkins, a sophomore in criminal justice, said she has sat on the “black side†with her old roommate before and never thought twice about it. 

“During my freshman year, I would go and meet my roommate in the eating area for food after class. And, each time we would sit on what I guess people call the ‘black side,’†Jenkins said. “Of course, I noticed I was one of the only white girls over there, but I never thought about it as race. I was just trying to eat with my friend. 

Janet Brown, freshman and member of the Black Student Association, explained she’s sat on the “white side†and never felt a negative feeling. 

“I sit with my friends over there all the time and nobody really looks twice,†Dawson said. “I mean I have noticed there aren’t a lot of blacks who sit over there, but I thought it was due to a class type of thing. When you look at the ‘black side,’ you see a lot of upperclassman and football players, but on the ‘white side,’ it’s kind of mixed in with the classes. I mean, it isn’t just whites over there either. I see whites, Asians, Germans and even Cubans.â€Â 

William Ross, senior and member of Omega Psi Phi, believes the separation between the two explains a lot about U of M students. 

“I don’t think it’s done on purpose,†Ross said. “I don’t think we go in there saying ‘Well, I’m going to sit on this side because this is where all the black people are or I’m going to sit on this side because this is where all the white people are or I’m going to sit all the way in the back because that’s where all the Chinese people are. It’s just how it is, but at the same time, it explains a lot about us. It shows we’re naturally wanting to be with own. People want to be with people who are just like them.â€Â 

Ross explained people think it’s weird to sit with people who aren’t like them because they’re scared to be out of their comfort zone. 

“We’re automatically weirded out when we sit with someone who is nothing like us, personality and all,†Ross said. “I think it’s terrible and weird that people feel like they can’t sit on the other side because they’ll be judged.â€Â 

James P. Whelan, associate professor of clinical health and director of the psychological services center at U of M, said the separation could be caused by people who are trying to avoid an awkward confrontation. 

“For the majority of us, it’s most likely due to us making a quick judgement on how we’re meant to behave,†Whelan said. “We have to make a decision on what to do immediately when walking in a foreign setting. It has a lot to do with our brain needing to be efficient.â€Â 

Whelan explained stereotypes people have developed can be changed, but they exist because of quick judgements people make in new situations. 

“What comes before that is we need to make judgements about how we’re going to behave, and what we’re going to say quickly,†Whelan said. “We don’t have time to debate and ask questions. People have to make that call quickly before making the situation awkward and people fear an awkward situation.â€Â 

Whelan also explained the brain immediately makes decisions based off the environment surrounding the person. 

“You would behave differently walking around on campus than walking around in the Peabody,†Whelan said. “We make a quick judgement when something is new to us. For students who’ve studied abroad, they immediately realize they behave and look different from the people in that setting, which includes skin tone, language, clothes and even the way they walk."