Imagine walking into a world where alien life forms race around frantically clad mainly in short skirts, tank tops, and flip flops; bodies dance salsa in a wooden “pit”; the hottest food place is known as “Pollo Tropical;” and everyone has either a cell phone or an IPod attached to their person.

Now, try to imagine a world where faint smells of river and marsh waft by wherever you go; perfectly-placed moss hangs from every tree; a Greek “stroll-off” replaces salsa dancing; and the most popular accessory on campus is a Greek letter jacket. This is just a snapshot of the experiences had by two groups of students from very different worlds that participated in the Diversity Exchange and Education Program (DEEP) through Savannah State University (SSU) and Florida International University (FIU) during Fall 2004 and Spring 2005.

During the Fall, a group of 32 students and several administrators from both SSU and FIU participated in the DEEP project under a Title III Grant giving Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) the opportunity to interface with specific groups at other college campuses. In previous years, SSU students visited universities with heavy concentrations of white/Anglo students and/or Native American students, but they chose FIU as a partner this past year for its majority Hispanic population.

The SSU group received a crash-course in Miami’s culture between their opening presentation on the history and culture of Miami and FIU, classroom visits with an FIU assigned buddy, and an excursion to South Beach and FIU’s Wolfsonian Museum. The Student Program Council’s Hispanic Heritage Week was taking place at the same time of the FIU visit, which enabled the Savannah students to experience the Latinos Unidos Talent Show, an international dinner, and salsa lessons.

While visiting Savannah State, FIU students experienced a campus with a strong black, Greek culture (complete with a closing night Step Show), a Riverboat Tour, and the Gullah Tour of Hilton Head, SC, an eye opening trek through the oldest living ties to slavery and the earliest African settlers in the United States. The FIU visitors were also introduced to true Southern hospitality with a down-home Southern luncheon and personal welcome and recognition by Carlton Brown, SSU president.

Savannah has a racial make-up of 50 percent black (predominantly African- American) and 50 percent white. In contrast, Miami has an overall population of close to 60 percent Hispanic, with a very small percent of white, non-Hispanics and roughly 13 percent black (including Caribbean black). FIU basically mirrors that composition, with another nearly nine percent international student population. As different as these groups may seem, they bonded instantly. Race or ethnicity was rarely discussed outside of classroom reflection. The things that drew these groups of students to each other were the characteristics they have in common. They quickly learned that they share the same hopes and fears, anxieties, parental and peer pressures, and they were candid about the shared prejudices they may have initially held about other people and groups before participating in DEEP.

When asked what she had learned about herself as a result of participating in DEEP, FIU student Annette Shumway responded, “I have learned that sometimes prejudices do not let one see others for how they really are”; friendship, however, apparently does. Annabelle Delgado, another FIU student, said she had “gained more insight and appreciation for [her own] culture.” She added that she “learned to take on new challenges and embrace difference with an open mind as well as an open heart.” Several students echoed these same sentiments in their reflections on their DEEP experience.

It is impossible to quantify the short-term or long-term impact that this opportunity had or will have on the students from both universities

Several of the students continue to stay in touch. Beverly Dalrymple, director of FIU’s

Center for Leadership and Service, who oversaw FIU’s participation, is pursuing funding for a program similar to DEEP. Cassandra Boyd, an SSU senior, enrolled in FIU’s Higher Education Administration program this Fall. She will serve as a graduate assistant under Dalrymple’s supervision.

Despite the many characteristics that made these two groups of students and professional staff so different at the beginning, the beauty of DEEP was not in the details. It was in the heart of the students and administrators that were involved in DEEP’s unique sharing of culture, communication, understanding and, most importantly, friendship.

Allison McComb is assistant director of Multicultural Programs and Services at Florida International University.