Yeah, I would probably agree with Christina D...
Butler is not the most diverse school you will come across. We do have a fairly large international student population, but we would all like to see more local ethinic minorities on campus. Religion I think is more diverse than people believe. Campus Crusade is the largest religious group (kind of like a non-denominational Christian youth group) and because they are so visible, I think people sometimes ignore other groups like Butler Catholic Community, Hillel, Common Worship (Methodist/Episcopal/Lutheran), Orthodox Fellowship or even Questions Unlimited and Veritas which are all about questioning and exploring spirituality. These groups are not as big as Cru, but they provide community for a wide variety of backgrounds. Should there be more? Yes, but it just depends on if there is a student willing to start and lead a new group. Sexual orientation? I think we are pretty diverse when it comes to this. Are there people who are not as open minded as they should be? Yes, as there would be at any university, but they are not the majority at Butler. We do have a community for GLBT students and their friends in the club Alliance, and the Safe Space program training helps interested faculty and RAs to understand gender/sexuality issues and then put a sticker on their door saying that they are a safe confidant for students wishing to talk about sexuality issues.
So that's the specific answer to your question...
However, I want to emphasize that diversity is a major topic of conversation on campus and a goal that we are all working towards in our own ways.
To give you an idea of what diversity means to Butler here are some examples:
- All incoming students read a book over the summer that is the basis for a discussion on community and diversity during orientation. These discussions are student led and very cool!
- Part of our core curriculum is Change & Tradition or Global & Historical Studies, which is a class about other cultures such as China, Nigeria, the Middle East and revolutionary Europe.
- Our Student Government Association is made up of 5 executive boards - one of them, called REACH (Respecting, Embracing & Achieving Community Harmony) is entirely devoted to diversity on campus. They sponsor all campus programming like films, discussions, diversity forums & Ethnic Fest and they also oversee and distribute thousands of dollars worth of grants to diversity organizations such as International Club, Alliance, Demia (gender equity group), Black Student Union, Latinos Unidos, Asian Student Association, etc.
Butler was founded by abolitionists in 1855, and we were the second university in the nation to admit both African Americans and women on an equal basis. How cool is that?!? I think this legacy is really helpful to those of us who are really passionate about increasing Butler's diversity. I know right now I am a part of a Diversity Council made up of students and faculty that discuss these issues on a weekly basis, so while we recognize that issues exist (as they do in many universities), we are taking the initiative to make sure that they are addressed.
One recent issue on campus with diversity has been the Gender Equity Commision which was an evaluation of a number of gender issues on campus and was followed up by several town halls with university administration that were attended by faculty, staff and students. If diversity is important to you, there are definitely people here who care about it too.
Last thing - I think it's important to remember that what Butler lacks in some areas of diversity are almost always made up for by the fact that we are in a major city!! There are some many different ethnic, religious groups, etc. in this town and Butler students definitely participate in these communities by attending church off campus, going to ethnic festivals, etc.
I hope that helped. I wouldn't want to lie to you and say that the makeup of our student body is ideally diverse, but I really think that Christina D is right - we are a very strong community that makes everyone feel welcome and we are doing our best to improve in the areas that might be lacking.