Racial diversity: There is a decent amount of racial diversity, albeit somewhat segregated at times. There is a small but visible social justice movement on campus that addresses structural racism, but there are also a number of individuals that perceive these “social justice warriors” as being over-sensitive and frequently playing the race card. I have been disappointed with the presence of this form of subtle and implicit racism on campus, but I think NU is better than many other colleges in this respect. I think OVERT racism is almost nonexistent here because there is a lot of pressure to be politically correct, but, as with the entire nation, structurally it’s still there. There are also a number of organizations that hold conversations about this, and I think it’s generally a good place for people who are passionate about addressing institutional racism and interacting with other passionate people.
Socioeconomic diversity is something that has recently received a lot of attention. The school has not had many low-income students in the past, but it recently began admitting more. However, low-income students need different kinds of support and resources to succeed, and the creation of those resources has not caught up yet, so there is a gap. This year, a new office was created for this purpose. So far, it has had programming and networking events. It’s certainly a start, and if students keep pushing for more, I expect it will grow.
Stress/Mental health: This is important to address because NU can be very stressful for many reasons. Classes can be much more rigorous than high school courses (unless you attend an elite high school), there is immense pressure to join multiple clubs, find internships, volunteer, etc, in addition to balancing social obligations. The first year can also be especially difficult for those who struggle to find a support system to navigate the tougher times. I think the majority of people feel overwhelmed at one point or another. And frankly, I think overworking students to the point where we’ve had multiple suicides in my time here is a systemic issue. There isn’t a culture of openness with talking about this, but I think it’s improving. There has also been a lot of attention on mental health, and CAPS, and I think it’s a good start. Because of overwhelming demand, it takes a long time to get an appointment. There are a limited number of free appointments per person as well, and CAPS primarily tries to assess your needs and refer you out. I got a good referral. But because it takes so long to get an appointment with CAPS, it seems like many students may not be able to get the help they need.