When sophomore and Malaysian international student Rabiatul Abd Patah decided to attend college in the United States, she said one major factor brought her to IU --the level of diversity.

"I was kind of impressed at how diverse the student body is," Abd Patah said. "I get to see and interact with people from different backgrounds easily."

Not all students feel that way, however. Freshman and Indianapolis native Arooj Ahmad said she was disappointed upon her arrival at IU.

"It's not as diverse as they like to advertise," Ahmad said. "I feel like just one Muslim in thousands of people."

When comparing individual races and ethnicities, IU does not initially appear to be all that diverse.

According to an annual report released by Indiana University Institutional Research and Reporting, there are currently 24,909 white, American undergraduate students enrolled at the Bloomington campus. The second largest group of Americans represented is black, with 1,435 students. That is a gap of 23,474 students.

When all students are considered, including those in graduate and doctorate programs, that number rises to 29,520.

June Evans, a graduate assistant with the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center, said while such a chasm between races can be daunting, simply looking at the number of students in each race may not do the University's strides for diversity justice.Like many things, diversity can be in the eye of the beholder, Evans said.

"For example, some African-American students might think of diversity as seeing more African-American students," Evans said. "But if you really look at it from a different aspect of not just race, you start to see it differently."

Evans added while the University can certainly improve its diversity, she said considering the total number of non-white students paints a more accurate picture.

According to the report, there are more than 11,000 students currently enrolled at IU who do not identify themselves as white Americans, with 4,826 of them come from foreign countries.

"It is pretty impressive," she said. "Diversity is here, but it is in specific segments."

'Isolated Pockets'

Senior Kirk Cahill, a Hudson and Holland Scholar said he thinks the problem is not that the University is not diverse, but that the diversity can be too secluded."IU is racially, culturally and religiously diverse as well as sexually, socially and in terms of Socioeconomic status," Cahill said. He added that there are thousands of students on campus and each student has a different background, creating diversity in
isolated pockets.

Growing up, Cahill said he attended a Catholic grade school on the south side of Indianapolis. When he started at IU, he said he was introduced to beliefs and ways of thinking that were completely new to him, thanks to the diversity offered by the
University.

"You meet people that share the same beliefs as you but you also see all these religious groups," Cahill said. "There are Christians, Muslims, atheists, all these differences to explore and engage in that can challenge your own beliefs and strengthen them. It's a unique opportunity."

But, Cahill added, you have to seek these opportunities out --something many people may not be apt to do.

Abd Patah said she has also noticed this isolation of different groups, and said, in her experience, it is often self-imposed.

"Many members of particular groups tend to just be among their group and are not willing to go out and explore new cultures and make friends with other people," she said.

Building Bridges

IU has many different student groups and culture centers that can help in not only making a student feel at home, but also in giving students an opportunity to explore cultures outside their own.

Groups such as La Casa Latino Cultural Center and the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Student Support Services all offer support and education on diverse issues.

"IU provides a great space to promote diversity with so many resources for all these very specific groups," Evans said.

Cahill said he thinks one way to improve a feeling of diversity is to have more of a connection and communication between all the different groups.

"I think there should definitely be more bridging between the different student services and organizations," Cahill said. "There should be more congregation, support and social activities between them."

Abd Patah said she has found interacting with people from different races, religion and nationalities to be an enlightening experience.

"The multicultural interaction helps me understand the world better by changing my perception on how people actually behave and believe," she said. "It is really fascinating."