Across campus, couples can be seen holding hands, laying on blankets or exchanging quick pecks before their classes. They are as diverse as they come. A black woman plants a light kiss on a white man’s cheek, a Japanese man gives his Indian girlfriend a squeeze before he says goodbye and a white woman runs to greet her Hispanic fiance after a hard day of work.

While the idea of cross-cultural and biracial relationships seem normal, there was a time when they came few and far between.

People of many backgrounds and religions still strive to keep their cultures thriving. In order to maintain these cultures, Jews must date and marry Jews, Muslims must date and marry Muslims, Koreans must date and marry Koreans, and so forth.

Although it is usually the more orthodox members of each community who adhere to these rules, in their eyes it is impossible to preserve a pure-breed culture and growing sense of community while intermixing with people of different ethnicities.

“My girlfriend’s dad didn’t like me basically because I wasn’t Asian,” said Doc Ellis, a junior in sports management, whose previous girlfriend was from Laos. “He didn’t really want his daughter to date anybody. I would drop her off or pick her up if he wasn’t at home, because he didn’t like me.”

While parents or families may present barriers for cross-cultural relationships, the learning experience gained by dating someone of a different background was an invaluable experience for Ellis.

“I learned to speak a little bit of the language and learn how they are,” he said. “Also, in an Asian person’s house you have to take off your shoes. They also let me try a whole bunch of Asian food.”

Even though prejudice against cross-cultural couples was more prominent in previous generations, couples of different ethnicities are often stared at, especially couples of different races.

Joe Crutchfield, a sophomore in an undeclared major, is black and is dating a white girl.

“People won’t stare, but you can feel it,” he said. “They’ll look once, they’ll look again. However, if this was thirty years ago, I would experience a lot more prejudice than I am now.”

His personal justification for staring is that clashing colors naturally draw attention. While many people might take the staring more personally, he said it’s not something he can allow to bother him.

“It’s not that I’m choosing to go to a different race; it’s just that it’s my environment,” Crutchfield said. My environment involves people of different races. My list of friends is just more colorful than what is normal.”

Crutchfield said dating someone of another race has not caused trouble on the homefront.

“Her parents are fine with it; my parents are fine with it,” he said. “The only things I’ve heard have been from extended family — but they’re fine with it; it’s just not normal for them — It’s not how they were raised.”

While cross-cultural relationships can be smooth sailing for some, they are not quite as easy for others. Some have to keep their boyfriends or girlfriends secret because the relationships could cause problems within their families.

Neil Vaidya, a junior in political science, is of Indian decent and has dated several Caucasian girls.

“I dated this [Caucasian] girl for four months my junior year in high school. My parents didn’t really want me to date at the time.” Vaidya said. “They wanted me to focus on my schoolwork, but I dated her anyway.”

Vaidya also said that his cousin only recently told his parents that he has been in a relationship with a Caucasian girl for almost five years. He said it has consequently caused a lot of tension between his cousin and aunt.

“I think it’s difficult for them, but I think most of my family doesn’t see a problem with it,” he said. “I think my parents would prefer me to date other Indians, but they’re used to me dating Caucasians.”

While prejudice can sometimes be felt by strangers and family members, peers are usually the most supportive audience.

“Everyone I knew was pretty cool about it,” Vaidya said. “I guess they didn’t really see the skin color — They just saw that we like each other.”

Vaidya said the problems found when dating people of other cultures should not stop people from the experience.

“I would persuade [people] to date someone of another culture because it exposes you to another culture,” he said. “It will open your eyes to a different culture that you’re not used to. You might find interest in it or change your perspectives about that culture or prejudices that you previously had.”