This study examined the ethnic climate and relationships between ethnic groups at 5 colleges. Data indicate that White and Latino students were the most comfortable interacting with other ethnic groups, whereas Asians students were the least comfortable. Furthermore, White students had a relatively positive view of the interracial climate in contrast to Black students who described their campuses as more hostile and uninviting.
Although our colleges and universities reflect the unease and hostility that have been growing in American society, it is also true thal these institutions represent a unique opportunity for developing harmonious relations among society's many ethnic groups. The oper exchange in classrooms, social activities, sports teams, and residential halls all contribute to a type of interchange found nowherr else in our society, with the possible exception of the military. Whal have been the results of this interchange? The literature on the ways in which White students and ethnic minority students have adjusted to each other is quite limited (de Armas & McDavis, 198 l), with much of the research focusing on t h c adjustment of African American students or on the attitudes of Whitc students. reported that Black and Whitc