Loyola University ChicagoDiversity Summary

Written by Amy Tolle

Amy Tolle

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Although Loyola is quite proud of its perceived diversity, many students tell a different story. Many ethnicities are represented, but there are few large communities at the school. Students feel that different groups tend to keep to themselves. Loyola's lack of an African American studies major is often lamented. Still, you will hear several languages other than your native one every day, and courses that attract overseas students will be populated by a diverse student body. The neighborhood around campus is a cultural mecca, and many students will find themselves going through something of a culture shock when they first venture out into the streets of Rogers Park.

One thing Loyola has been criticized for in recent years is its lack of a recruitment push in Chicago. A large number of students come to Loyola from Jesuit high schools in Cincinnati, St. Louis, and downstate Illinois. This makes for a mostly white, Catholic community in the middle of one of the most ethnically diverse cities in America. The African American and Latino crowds, while active on the University scene, are smaller than they could be. The University does a good job of making minorities feel welcome by providing opportunities for them to come together as groups, but it could do an even better job by focusing a little bit more of its energy on recruiting in Chicago's many ethnic neighborhoods, and thereby diversifying its student body a little further.