<p>For a practicing Catholic african american female who is a very strong student and has been raised in very NON diverese Catholic schools, who is now looking for a welcoming, diverse university would Notre Dame be a good fit?
She has had no problems at her predom. white Catholic High school, but just as one might like the opportunity to have Catholic friends and people to date she would like to be in an environment where she might meet and socialize with some african americans and have the opportunity to date the same. It is not a deal breaker, but after often being the only african american in her classes for 4 years, she is ready to not feel like the voice of her race and to regularly see and socialize with some others of her race.</p>
<p>She is a strong student, good athlete and good musician in marching band...and very Catholic. She will visit Notre Dame (likely) for a summer program, but is wondering day in and day out what the race relations and atmosphere are like. Any help would be appreciated!</p>
<p>T</p>
<p>Race isn’t an issue, but Notre Dame is very white. There are few African Americans, Jamaicans, etc.</p>
<p>I think it kind of depends on what you’re looking for. As far as race relations go, I don’t know of any problems, although not being a minority, my perception may have been different. Notre Dame is a tight-knit community and tends to be a pretty welcoming place. Additionally, there are a lot of cultural groups on campus (AAA, CCS, KSA, BSA, VSA, etc.) and they welcome everyone at their events, so if you are looking for some diverse experiences, they may offer some good opportunities for you. Notre Dame is very rich in many types of diversity, while being rather poor in others. Students come from all over the country and from all over the world. Additionally, there is a fairly large hispanic population and a very active Asian population on campus. However, there is not a lot of religious diversity as most students come from Catholic backgrounds, and the percentage of black students is rather low. So if you are looking for a large number of black students, Notre Dame is probably not the best option. However, you would certainly not be alone and there are groups on campus (like the Black Student Association) that you could participate in if you want to seek out a primarily African-American crowd.</p>
<p>Thank you for the responses. There are several students each year that go from our Catholic High school to Notre Dame. I know of one highly recruited football player who chose ND because he said it had the same feel of tradition, family, history and a Catholic environment that our high school has.
Unfortunately, it sound also as if the racial diversity in terms of numbers of African americans is the same too.
Again, our child has had no racial issues, but would like to be around a campus where there were a few more people that look like her and where eventually dating options could be outside of and within ones race and religion.
I appreciate your responses. Good food for thought.
T</p>
<p>I’d bet she’d love ND and have tons of friends.</p>
<p>Some links that may be of interest:</p>
<p>[UND.COM</a> - University of Notre Dame Official Athletic Site - Athletics](<a href=“http://www.und.com/ot/60bca-story.html]UND.COM”>http://www.und.com/ot/60bca-story.html)</p>
<p>And the “non-athlete” shirt issue:</p>
<p>[Non-athlete</a> shirts a reminder - Viewpoint - The Observer - University of Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s College](<a href=“http://www.ndsmcobserver.com/viewpoint/non-athlete-shirts-a-reminder-1.2037467]Non-athlete”>http://www.ndsmcobserver.com/viewpoint/non-athlete-shirts-a-reminder-1.2037467)</p>
<p>[Prejudice</a> runs deeper - Viewpoint - The Observer - University of Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s College](<a href=“http://www.ndsmcobserver.com/viewpoint/prejudice-runs-deeper-1.2042086]Prejudice”>http://www.ndsmcobserver.com/viewpoint/prejudice-runs-deeper-1.2042086)</p>
<p>[Don?t</a> assume - Viewpoint - The Observer - University of Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s College](<a href=“http://www.ndsmcobserver.com/viewpoint/don-t-assume-1.2044787]Don?t”>http://www.ndsmcobserver.com/viewpoint/don-t-assume-1.2044787)</p>
<p>[Implications</a> of the ?non-athlete? shirt - Viewpoint - The Observer - University of Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s College](<a href=“http://www.ndsmcobserver.com/viewpoint/implications-of-the-non-athlete-shirt-1.2066048]Implications”>http://www.ndsmcobserver.com/viewpoint/implications-of-the-non-athlete-shirt-1.2066048)</p>
<p>If your daughter is seriously interested in dating other black Catholics, she is more likely to find them at Notre Dame than at other comparable schools. It is true that Notre Dame is predominantly white, and that most minorities are Hispanic or Asian rather than black, but there are 2000 students in a class, so even a small percentage of black students is a relatively large absolute number.</p>