Oral history interview with Dora Martin Berry, August 14, 1997 [excerpts]

JS: How would you describe your college experience? DB: Well, the first year was really an incredible year. I arrived in Iowa City and was completely overwhelmed by just the enormity of this whole-the campus, and. I mean I was not prepared for anything quite as big as this. I didn't-Houston is pretty much still a small town at that time. So I had never really been on a major university campus. I was really wide-eyed and excited by what I found there. And frankly somewhat overwhelmed by it. I took a lot of my small town traits and experiences along with me, though. One of which was, you know, in Houston as you walk along the street you speak to everybody-you greet everyone you pass, you know. So I used to do the same thing there. I'd walk along the campus and I'd say, "Hi. Hi." And one day somebody actually pointed out to me that everybody didn't do that and I had sort of drawn attention to myself as the person who ran around speaking to everybody. But everyone really kind of accepted kindly and…. I learned a few things very early on however, a few things that were pretty powerful lessons. During orientation, freshman orientation week, I met a young male student and I can't remember now where he was from or even what his name was. I just remember that we somehow kept bumping into each other. And he seemed to take an interest in me, and got my number in the dorm and called me a couple of times. And invited me to have a soda at Wetstones with him and made plans to get in touch with me the following week. Well, once all the other students arrived and his roommates arrived and he was rooming with some upper classmen. Apparently, he mentioned to them that he had-that he'd met someone that he planned to see again. And they found out that the person he was referring to was black and made it clear to him that he probably didn't want to pursue this. And so he called me and was very embarrassed and very uncomfortable but managed to explain that on the advice of his older, wiser roommates he thought it best that we not see each other again. So that was my first lesson in just how things were different in Iowa City than they were down South, even though I was now supposed to be up North.