Indiana University-Bloomington Top Questions

What astonishes me about students at IUB is their diversity. The percentage of out-of-state students is very surprising, and their is plenty of ethnic and religious diversity on campus as well. Students are friendly and open to interacting with others of different backgrounds, and the various cultural groups on campus work hard educating others about what it means to be a part of that culture by providing free events (such as performances, festivals, food tastings, and other activities) for the public.

As a part of the LGBT community here at IU, I have realized how diverse the students are and how many actually involved in their community. As a leader of two LGBT events, experience has revealed just how much students actually care. Students who are not verse in experiencing new cultures and are not willing to do so, will feel extremely out of place at Indiana University. Most students wear casual clothing/sweats to class and interact with many different people. The majority of students are from Indiana, however, the East Coast has a dominate presence on campus as well. The politics of IU differs vastly, about half are politically aware and active and there is no prevalent political affiliation, as most students are center.

I think that IUB is a great microcosm of diversity, but I also think that at times it can be a harsh reality of life outside of the campus. However, I think on our campus we have much higher rate of acceptance. There is very little that bothers us or causes tension and problems which always makes me proud. It's wonderful to be part of a place that accepts others. I feel that anybody from any walk of life could fit in at IUB. We have so many students from so many areas that it's hard to believe someone wouldn't find a place to fit. Students vary from jeans and t-shirts to sweatpants to khakis and button down shirts to even suits and skirts and heels. There is no one way we all dress. If there were 4 tables in the dining hall, they would be separated as Greek, Business, Jocks, and Other. I think a lot of students stick in their own group, but they still interact in a decent manner with other students not like them. Most of IUB students are from all over the state of Indiana, but we do have many of the east coast like New Jersey and New York. I think there are all kinds of financial backgrounds incoporated on campus. There are some students who work to make money to pay for their own degree and there are others whose parents can pay for it.

While there are people of every race, religion, sexual orientation, and socio-economic background on campus, there is a lack of diversity. The majority of students are caucasians, which may make some people feel out of place. Most people at IU are from Indiana, but there are a lot of kids from the East Coast, as well as a large pool of international students. Student are politically aware, and are pretty split evenly between conservatives and liberals. The city of Bloomington is very liberal compared to the state of Indiana as a whole which is very conservative.

As a resident assistant in the dorms, I typically had to host one program a month on cultural awareness. At IU there are lots of diverse socio-economic groups. I would think that a student that comes here without an open mind might be uncomfortable. Most of the dorms and and academic buildings on campus play host to these every group imaginable. Last year I hosted a program on my floor for the "Free Tibet Now" group on campus. Most IU students are from Indiana, but there are large portions of the population from Illinois, Ohio, and New York. You have financial backgrounds that are just as diverse. Most of the students are politically aware, if not active. In the greek system, they are mostly conservative, but outside of that, most people are pretty liberal.

Everyone is very open. There are groups dedicated to different racial and religious groups. Most people probably are not from low socio-economic backgrounds. No student would feel out of place at IU, we represent absolutely every type of person imaginable. Students wear anything from pjs to dresses and heels to class. Different types of students don't interact outside of classes. Four tables: Frat guys at one, Sorority girls at another, smart people at another. Most IUB students are from Indiana or Ohio. Most people come either from high-middle income families, or get scholarships so you can't tell the difference. Students are not as politically active as they should be. Half the people are on the left, the other half are on the right, which is strange for the heavily Republican Indiana. The Students for Barack Obama group is the largest political group on campus, and the Students for Ron Paul is the second largest. Only kids from the Business school talk about how much they'll earn one day.

The community that I've felt best about participating in has been my church's campus ministry--I'm a part of the Unitarian-Universalist Church. They're a very inclusive spiritual community. My freshman year I was pretty active in both the GLBT community and in women's/feminist groups but I've actually kind of fallen out of that, which is unfortunate. Even though I identify very strongly with both of those communities I guess I didn't ever connect that well. I don't think I have all that much in common with most of the GLBT community, I guess, although I have made a few friends there. People do associate with people outside their groups but because the campus is so huge it can be really tough to branch out and meet new people. Socioeconomically people definitely run the gamut but it seems like everyone is in the middle. Politically I can't really tell. Most of the people I see daily are definitely left-leaning (like in Collins) but there are also definitely republicans prevalent in the political science department. Even within poli sci I'm not sure people care about politics; like I've said earlier people tend to be more focused with becoming rich lawyers someday.