Michael Jones' grandmother had an unusual reaction to his new girlfriend Kandice.
"As soon as she found out about it she got really quiet and stomped off for a while," Jones said.
Adriana Rendon was living with her grandparents when they found out about her current flame.
"They threatened to kick me out of the house," Rendon said.
Kristin Lehman's parents chose a more subtle approach.
"They didn't want to directly come out and say it," Lehman said. "I could tell my mom didn't want to say, 'Kristin, you can't date this person.'"
Their parents and grandparents were miffed because these students chose to date someone of a different race.
Jones said his grandmother eventually stopped pouting. The Engineering senior is white and his girlfriend is black. He said there are "no on-going problems with either family right now."
Lehman, an Engineering senior, said her relationship ended, even though she disagreed with her parents.
"I don't want to do anything to directly piss them off," she said.
Although navigating the dating terrain is not always easy, students who have been involved with someone of a different ethnicity said the ride can sometimes be extra bumpy.
Along with enhancing knowledge of each others' backgrounds, different ethnicities often cause unique issues to arise during relationships, students said. Many said they have found themselves defending their choice to relatives and friends.
"You have to to deal with ... how other people see you," said LSA senior Alejandra Montes. "Their first question is like, 'Oh - you're dating someone that's not Mexican,'" she said of the times she has dated non-Latinos.
LSA senior Evan Austin, who is black, said he once encountered a different situation in a relationship.
"She was Hispanic and white, and I think her family didn't ... like having a lot of diversity in their environment," he said. "She told me that I couldn't go home with her over Thanksgiving because of certain things."
It was due "just (to) the fact that her father didn't really approve of interracial dating - something to that effect," Austin said.
Rendon, an Engineering junior, said that in her family, her more distant relatives voiced the most objection when she began seeing her boyfriend, Greg Burris of Ypsilanti. Rendon is Mexican American and Burris is black.
"My mom was OK with it because I've dated black guys before," Rendon said. "The main prejudice I had is from my older grandparents and uncles who feel that I should stay with my race."
"(My) grandfather, he's kind of back in the days," Rendon said. "My (black) girlfriends ... he welcomed them in the home. When I was dating a black guy, that made a difference to him."
Rendon said that although her father "displayed resentment" toward her when she and Burris first began dating, he has since had a change of heart.
"He doesn't really say much about it (now) ... he just accepts it," she said. "He didn't want to lose out on communication with me just because of that."
Burris' family was more accepting of the couple. "My family loves her to death, actually," he said. "My side of the family has accepted her very well."
Many parents said they remember the negative treatment interracial couples received from society when they were growing up.
"My mother at first was a little shocked," Jones said. "But she was more concerned with how the people around us would act."
Jones said his mother witnessed the harassment of interracial couples in the small town where she grew up, which contributed to her concern.
"As far as being accepted you know, it's been fine," Burris said. "It's not been a problem. I don't think we encountered any problems that I can think of. Nothing where people are going, 'Hey, why are you with her?' or whatever."
In 1994, the topic of interracial dating made national headlines when Alabama high school principal Hulond Humphries attempted to exclude interracial couples from the school's prom. Revonda Brown, then a high school junior, sued the school board and Humphries. She said Humphries referred to her as a "mistake" after she complained about the ban on interracial couples. Brown's mother is black and her father is white.
Engineering junior Joaquin Garcia, who has been dating his Irish American girlfriend for more than two years, said his first year at the University was the only time he faced criticism from people around him. People would say things like, "Why are you with the white girl ... she's not good enough for you," he said. "I ran into that a lot my first year."
Garcia, whose mother is Irish and father is Mexican, said the comments were "all coming from other Latinos and blacks."
One black student who did not wish to be named said he experienced a different kind of prejudice from his Nigerian girlfriend's parents when they began dating.
"It was kind of difficult for them to accept me being an American," he said. "It's the first time I've ever had anybody who's black look at me not because I'm black but because I'm someone else. It really didn't bother me, but it's the first time I've ever ran into ... that type of stereotype."
"It's basically just personality ... if you click with another person, their skin color could be green," said LSA senior Ron Pacis, who is Filipino.
"It really isn't something that you look for in someone else as far as whether you're going to get along or not," said LSA senior Amit Bhatt, who is Indian.
LSA first-year student Adrienne Bunton said she first notices whether a prospective date is attractive, no matter what ethnicity they are.
"Limiting who you date by race limits what kind of knowledge you can gain from other races," said Bunton, who is black.
One student said having an interracial relationship helped her to open her eyes to future partners after it ended.
"Last year for the first time, I dated someone who wasn't Caucasian," said Education junior Jennifer Idema. "Since then I've been more attracted to other races, I guess."
However, some students said the issue of race is unavoidable.
I think "subliminally I hold people in my own race more as potential girlfriends than other people," said LSA first-year student Chris Walton, who is white. "Once in a while I'll be attracted to someone of a different race ... but usually it's sort of a subliminal thing."
Another student also said he feels more comfortable dating people who share his ethnic background.
"I probably prefer to date my own race," said LSA sophomore Randy Damura, who is white. "I would never do it ... I'm just not really attracted to other races. I don't know if it's narrow-mindedness - that's just kind of how I feel about it," he said.
Other students said their dating patterns are reflective of their social group.
"It's mostly like an environmental thing," Austin said. "Like I associate mostly with black people, so it's just natural that you end up dating black people."
In Ann Arbor, many black female students said they see a crisis in the number of eligible black men - making it even more frustrating when the men choose to date white women.
"There are a lot of black women who cannot find good black men," said LSA senior Tiffany Coty. "If black women see a black man with a white woman, black women feel like it's a slap in the face."
Coty said the insult is greater if black men date white women for superficial reasons rather than actual compatibility.
"A lot of it is because (black men) have insecurities about themselves," Coty said. "Having a white girl is like a higher status."
Black women said black men often stereotype black women as having a poor attitude toward them or looking for only a "certain type of man."
"There is a generalization about black women - that they're bossy," said LSA first-year student Krystal Hodge.
Andrea Hunter, assistant professor of psychology and women's studies, said it has been suggested that black women's resentment could stem from white women being painted as an ideal of beauty and womanhood.
"One theory is that white women are not only a symbol of beauty but also of social status," Hunter said. "People have found that many black men who marry interracially are higher-status men."
Some black men said they are also upset when they see a black woman dating someone from another race.
"I think it's kind of like you take it personally," LSA and Music senior Andrew Quinn said of black women dating white men. "If I see a black woman with a white man ... I think, 'Well how come she's not with someone like me," he said.
Many black women said they had no problem with black men dating outside their race as long as it was for the right reasons.
"If you set out to go find someone, I don't think (race) should be the main factor," said LSA first-year student Dyan Rucks.
"I think that a lot of black people feel like when a (successful) black man dates a white woman ... he's selling out," said LSA junior Melissa McKenzie, who said she does not share that view. "That's the feeling I get from talking to my family and friends," she said.
Some black males on campus said the decision to date outside their race can often require a great deal of consideration.
"At Michigan, if you date a woman that's not black and black women find out about it ... they won't want to date you," Quinn said. "It's kind of like you get written off" among people you know, he said. "That's the perception."
Austin said he personally does not see anything wrong with black men dating outside their race when they are doing it because they are attracted to the person. "I do have a problem with ... that when you go out and date a certain race," exclusively, he said.
Students disagreed on how tolerant the University community is toward color-blind couples.
"I don't think it's all that common," said LSA senior Anita Valanju. "I think there's a lot of people who are stuck on staying in their own race," she said.
"I think because it's a liberal campus people are more open-minded here," Idema said.
Perhaps Burris summed it up best. "The bottom line is that ... I love her, she loves me."
- Daily Staff Reporter Ann Stewart contributed to this report.
JOSH BIGGS/Daily
Engineering junior Adriana Rendon and her boyfriend, Greg Burris of Ypsilanti, initially encountered opposition from some of Rendon's family when they began dating, but things have grown better with time.