Students try a cultural exchange

Some NYU students experience life at different colleges without ever going abroad.

NYU's Faculty Resource Network offers a student-exchange program in which academically strong sophomores and juniors from CAS, Gallatin, Steinhardt and Tisch can spend a semester studying full-time at historically black or Hispanic institutions.

"It's a wonderful opportunity for a rich cultural experience," said Faculty Resource Network program associate Anne Ward, adding that students don't have to leave the country to experience different lifestyles.

The Puerto Rican or Historically Black College or University program, currently on hiatus for evaluation, will relaunch next spring.

Five schools participate in the exchange - Morehouse College in Atlanta; Spelman College in Atlanta; Xavier University in New Orleans; the University of Puerto Rico (Rio Piedras); and the University of Sacred Heart in Puerto Rico.

Once they arrive at their respective universities, students live in campus housing and participate in honors programs.

The application process is extremely competitive, with only two applicants accepted from each participating NYU college. Participants must have at least a 3.0 GPA and must pass a Spanish proficiency test if they wish to study in Puerto Rico.

But the required academic effort is often worthwhile. CAS alumna La June Barnes, who graduated in 2005, said she enjoyed the communities at Xavier during the spring of 2003 and at Sacred Heart during the spring of 2004.

"Going to an HBCU or a historically Spanish university, there is a level of community," Barnes said. "You're a part of this campus community, and people like, suck you in. I didn't feel that I had that when I went to NYU."

Barnes' experiences during the exchange also inspired her to achieve further - she's now pursuing her Master's degree in public administration and international relations at Syracuse University.

The program, which began in the early '90s, attracts many students who are black or Puerto Rican and want a sense of community they can't find at NYU.

And NYU administrators say they realize that this sense of ethnic community is hard to find in a university this large. That's why Julie Avina, an Academic Advising Program adviser and associate director of sophomore and special student advising, encourages students to apply for the exchange.

"To be able to go to a place where people look like you, I think that can be very powerful," she said. "Going to another place forces you to stretch yourself a little bit."

But Ward also encourages students who aren't black or Latino to participate in the exchange.

"There's a different relationship that takes place in these schools that's unique and vital," Ward said. "I think its important for students to experience this - and not only for students of color."

GSP sophomore Christine Stewart, a metropolitan studies major, said she thinks the program benefits all participants in that it takes them out of their comfort zones.

"Being born and raised in New York, I tend to be extremely biased and partial to my city," said Stewart, who considered enrolling in one of the Puerto Rican universities until she learned they didn't offer courses toward her major. "Participating in this exchange would force me to open my eyes."