<p>Most colleges have a decidedly liberal bent. Obama's success was met with joy. However, it does not take many bad apples to spoil a good sector of the barrel. It is NEWS when something like this occurs and will be reported. </p>
<p>Lehigh has made a concerted effort to attract students of color. It, among a number of schools, is predominantly "vanilla". When you have a college without much diversity, you are going to get a group there who are emboldened to do racist things. I am not excusing the kids there at Lehigh or anywhere who are part of such activities, but I do recognize they exist and feel freer to express themselves on a campus with less diversity. </p>
<p>This is a situation that students of color should know when they are considering schools. My close friend who is married to an African American very rarely talks about color , but when it comes to choosing a community, school, neighborhood for her family, this is a factor she takes into consideration. She noted this as she and her son toured colleges. Her son who has lived in such accepting environments all of his life is not as aware as his mother and father that there are many places that are down right bigoted. I don't know how whether this protection is all good for the kids, but this is the way it has been.<br>
If your student is like my friend's son, not prepared or aware of such bigotry, and not yet strong enough to endure and fight it, a school that is very diverse is probably a better environment for him. There is protection in numbers. However, I hardly think that Lehigh is a place where he will be ridiculed and discriminated against to the point of damage. There is a strong desire to make the university more diverse and the students as a whole and administration are making it an important goal to eliminate much of this racial fracas as possible. There is not a tolerance for the type of activities that occurred there, and much is being made of it. I don't see it as a simmering pot ready to boil over, but a few bigots on the loose, and frankly, they could have been at any college. It is, however, a fact that Lehigh is predominantly white as are most colleges, and is has even fewer students of color than a number of colleges in the north east. </p>
<p>I did not read your original thread, but I don't see much tolerance on your end if you don't want to consider a college that even allows McCain on campus. Intolerance can swing both ways. Though I voted for Obama, and have disdain for the McCain/Palin platform and choices, I gave them due consideration, and would not consider anyplace they spoke or were welcomed contaminated just by that fact. I thought Lehigh had Greek life too. A half hour from Easton, PA is not exactly fertile ground for diversity, I would think, either.</p>
<p>My friend's son loved Emory, UMiami, Occidental,. As you can see, they cast a wide net. If diversity is very important to you, find lists of those schools with the most diversity. I believe there is such a list out there. Schools that are heavy in engineering tend to be more conservative, I have found. City schools tend to be more diverse. </p>
<p>I know two African American students who went to Lehigh. One graduated and loved his experience there. The other did not, but not due to racial issues, and she transferred to Binghamton where she is very happy.</p>