It's a big change from his predominantly whitehigh school in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he didn'thave many Black friends, he says.

"It was less segregated. Everybody just hung out all together," Lewis says of his high school. "At other times, it was a lot easier for everyone to be seen together.You tend to get to know everybody on a first-namebasis and it kind of breaks down the walls."

"When I came to Harvard," Lewis says, "myroommate was Black, and I met a bunch of peoplewho were Black, and I happened to hang out withthem more," Lewis says.

Furthermore, Lewis says, he was turned off bywhat he perceived as being the typically "white"social life at Harvard.

A member of the mostly white wrestling teamduring his first year, Lewis says he wasdisappointed by the fact that the team seemed tobe kind of "a social club"--a club whose favoriteweekend workout was drinking.

"I see that type of activity as one of the mainsocial activities of white people here," Lewissays. "Drinking or a bar is usually involved inpeople's weekend plans."

Lewis says despite the fact that most of hisfriends are Black, he still thinks Harvard'stendency toward self-segregation is "a problem."

"People have their choice of who they want tohang out with, and that tends to be a separatingfactor," Lewis says.

Unlike Lewis, Bruce L. Gottlieb '97, who is aCrimson editor of Asian and European ancestry, haschosen not to join any ethnic organizations.

But Gottlieb says just because he hasn't joinedan ethnic organization doesn't mean he hasn't hadto choose one ethnic identity over another.

"By not joining an ethnic organization, I'mconsigning myself to mainstream American culture,"says Gottlieb, who describes himself as lookingmore "Western" than Chinese. "I don't have verymany friends who are Chinese... The Chinese groupson campus do tend to stick together, and so in asense, I have had to make a choice."

The pressure to choose at Harvard is fairlycommon, according to Tammy V. Tai '98, whoseJamaican parents are of mixed heritage as well.

"I would definitely say [Harvard's]segregated," Tai says. "It's very obvious here. Ifyou don't find your own group of friends your ownway, you might feel pressured to join [an ethnicgroup]... [And] it's hard to be with the grouphalf the time and not be with them the otherhalf."

Tai, who attended a predominantly white highschool, also says the Harvard trend of racialself-segregation is new for her.

But Tai, whose mother is Black and Indian andfather is Black, Chinese and Indian, says she hasgotten around the problem by not choosing herfriends by their race.