When he was in college, things were different.
In 1993 there were no buildings on the campus named after a black person. Because of the protests of the students then, however, Ohio University now has Blackburn Temple, an auditorium named after the first black male and female graduates.
Terry Frazier, assistant director of Leadership and Service Programs at Ball State, received his bachelor's degree in elementary education from Ohio University in 1999. The campus consisted of 20,000 students, and minorities made up 6 percent.
Frazier said he recalls his years as an undergraduate student at Ohio as fun and memorable. He also said the black community was a close-knit family.
"(As a minority student) it was an open atmosphere," he said. "Everyone knew everyone by name if not by face. When push came to shove, everyone had each other's back."
During his years there, Frazier said students received a lot of support from minority faculty and staff as well as administration, who attended student events without being invited. He also said the number of black leaders was stagnant, but the support was still there.
"Our black student leaders took a lot of matters into play and had initiative," Frazier said. "(But) it was only a handful of students who took the ball and rolled with it. People may not have been behind the scenes, but they supported on the surface."
Frazier said the relations between black and white students were more informal socially and that cohabitation was necessary as well as widely accepted.
"That was the bond we had because there was nothing else to do," Frazier said. "We couldn't keep in contact with high school friends because there was no e-mail, so you had to make new friends.
"We taught them to play cards and they introduced us to Jerry Springer."
Frazier said while students were more sociable, racial tension still occurred. In 1994, the Ku Klux Klan wanted to have a rally outside the Student Union. Because the black community and the KKK's opponents protested, however, the rally was canceled.
While there have been many positive changes, Frazier said both Ohio and Ball State need improvement.
"Both campuses need more diversity," he said. "Students also need to be involved outside of their comfort zone, and look more at stuff that traditionally students of color would not participate in."
Frazier said he had his bad times, but he does not regret his college years.
"College is what you make it," Frazier said. "I've had bad experiences, but in the grand scheme of things I did not let that bring me down. Just because I'm not the prominent race does not mean I can't be a prominent person."
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