We need a cultural makeover

ampus. Students, faculty, administrative workers loudly proclaiming and praising how liberal and forward-thinking IU is.

Compared to the rest of Indiana, with the exception of Gary and Indianapolis, Bloomington is pretty liberal and diverse. We’re one of the more blue parts of this state, and the way we vote and run our city shows it.  

Unfortunately, this perspective of IU as a liberal utopia that is fully accepting and diverse holds us back as a university. We need to improve on a lot of things here in Bloomington. We need a cultural makeover.

When I was choosing a college as a high school senior, IU sprang instantly to mind as a gay-friendly, liberal school that seemed eons away from the conservative, Lutheran university close to where I grew up. I was sold.

When I got here, though, I was less than enthused. I quickly saw there wasn’t a huge difference between Bloomington and Valparaiso, my hometown.

Racially, we aren’t as diverse as we market ourselves to be. Religiously, we aren’t as varied as we should be. And we aren’t as accepting as anyone likes to pretend we are.
I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve had the word “faggot” yelled at me from a passing car or how common it is for me to see people pointing and laughing at a Jewish boy wearing a yarmulke.

The hard truth is many people here at IU don’t feel safe or accepted. They don’t feel safe walking across campus after dark. They don’t feel safe openly being themselves in their dorm. And many of them don’t feel accepted by other students.

Recently, IU Student Association sponsored an event at the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center to discuss issues relating to diversity. One law student in particular mentioned the awful experience she had being one of the 12 minority students in her law class of 250.

“It makes the environment very hostile sometimes,” she said. “I would never reach out to an incoming black law student and tell them to come. I would never recruit because it has been horrible so far.”

I know of far too many instances of people who aren’t straight, white, cisgender Christians being discriminated against, ignored or belittled.

I know of transgender freshmen who can’t room with people of their identifying gender because of University policy. I know Muslim students who are openly discriminated against with no intervention from University employees.

It needs to stop.

If the administration is unwilling or unable to actively increase meaningful diversity and understanding on campus, then students should take charge. We can’t keep waiting year after year for IU to increase minority enrollment. It has made promises for years and it hasn’t delivered.

Student groups, such as the Residence Hall Association, IUSA, the IU Student Foundation, the Alumni Association and Union Board need to organize more events like these and use the feedback to create programs and policies to combat ignorance.
The students have a larger voice on this campus than is acknowledged. It’s time we use it to stop hate instead of sweeping it under the rug.

ajguenth@indiana.edu
@GuentherAndrew