Second-year College student Vidhi Shah and first-year Engineering student Jason Guy said they experienced the "reverse side" of racial diversity as students at a predominately black high school in Virginia Beach.
Still, Shah said racial tensions at her high school could be more intense than they are at the University.
Though they describe the University as racially diverse, the two find the school's lack of socioeconomic diversity far more striking. Guy also noted that although the majority of students at their high school were black, the vast majority of students in honors courses were white, giving them a leg up in admissions at competitive universities and colleges nationwide.
While Guy thinks students who face financial challenges should be able to attend the University, he does not want such accommodations to affect the quality and caliber of students.
"I don't want people that aren't smart," Guy said.
Shah and Guy live in the University's International Residence College, also home to their friend, second-year College student Maya Prakash. The three agreed that their perception of diversity at the University has been uniquely shaped by their personal engagement in extracurricular activities, living arrangements and social groups.
As a first-year, Prakash lived in Old Dorms. She described her first-year experience as significantly "less diverse" than her current environment at the IRC.
"The IRC is very diverse," Prakash said. "It's a lot different in terms of people."
Shah, Prakash and Guy said their experience at the IRC is different from students living in other areas, both on- and off-Grounds.
For example, Guy described situations when students living in the IRC have comfortably used racial slang in a way that would be inappropriate in classroom settings. He also described the diverse ethnic background of students in the IRC as distinct from the rest of the University population.
"The only black people I know there are from Africa," Guy said.
Prakash, who was familiar with the diversity commission report, said she does not think diversity can be forced or should be encouraged by any form of affirmative action.
Similarly, the three said they are not especially concerned about the University's reputation as a diverse or non-diverse institution.
Guy said a negative reputation in terms of racial diversity could discourage some high school students from applying to the University, but he believes academics ultimately shape the University's reputation.
"I don't think it is going to affect us," Guy said.
--Compiled by Shannon Sturcken
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