Instead of focusing on specific races and ethnicities this year, Northwestern’s Summer Academic Workshop embraced diversity.

SAW, a program that has traditionally acclimated only incoming black and Latino undergraduates to college life, opened up to non-minorities for the first time in its history. The decision to integrate was in compliance with a June 2003 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that declared minority-exclusive programs unconstitutional.

Students in the newly integrated program were “pretty evenly split” across various races, said Carretta Cooke, executive director of multicultural student affairs.

“I thought change was a good thing,” said SAW counselor Josin Chin-Sang, a Weinberg sophomore. “It was an opportunity to build solidarity across racial borders and racial boundaries.”

SAW was a rare opportunity for diversity, said Chin-Sang.

“They’re not going to have the opportunity to interact with so many races at the same time during the year,” Chin-Sang said. “The campus is very diverse but self-segregation is so easy to fall into that it’s not going to be the same environment (as SAW) anymore.”

Since 1996, SAW has helped incoming students transition from high school to college in a two-week program prior to New Student Week. Participants attend writing workshops, meet campus groups, learn about academic advising and explore Evanston and Chicago.

Admissions officers recommend students for the program, looking at application essays to identify those who could benefit from an intensive writing class.

Students in the program said they met people from both big cities and small towns. Some were bilingual, and many were multiethnic.

“It was cool to get to know other people that you otherwise wouldn’t have had a chance to get involved with and know about different cultures,” said Peter Bartleson, a Weinberg freshman.

As in years past, students said they felt that they improved their writing, developed strong friendships and had an easier time adjusting to college. Counselors helped maintain the focus on those fundamental goals of SAW.

“All the counselors were alumni and experienced the original motif of SAW,” said Monica Guevara, a counselor and Education sophomore. “We set the tone.”

Despite initial doubts, integration didn’t ignite any problems socially or academically.

“Everyone was anticipating problems because of their own prejudice and their own fear,” said Communication sophomore Aaron Mays, a counselor.

SAW broadened the usual research paper readings on race and ethnic issues to other current events, said Charles Yarnoff, who runs the Writing Center and who organized the academic side of SAW. And instead of introducing students to strictly black and Latino cultural groups, SAW showed this year’s participants a variety of clubs and activities.

Brandon Bodager, a Weinberg freshman, said SAW gave him a head start on college life.

“I got some good feedback from the professors,” Bartleson said. “It was really helpful.”

SAW alumni have mixed feelings about inviting non-black and -Latino students to participate.

Robin Cox, a Medill sophomore, said she came to NU because of the SAW. She was able to build friendships with other SAW participants before being thrown into college.

“I come from an area where there aren’t many people of other races — just black and Latino people,” Cox said. “Just being around other black people going to Northwestern made it a little less scary when I see people who are like me.”

On the other hand, Cox said she values NU’s diversity and the move to integrate.

Guevara said one of the costs of integrating SAW is that minority communities don’t have as much of an immediate connection or solidarity among themselves, but the result is a broadened, more diverse community of SAW students.

“It’s not color lines anymore,” Guevara said. “Now it’s, ‘Hey I know somebody, I know the campus.'”

Reach Kendra Marr at [email protected].