<p>I just got invited to apply for their Johnson's Scholarship. Does anyone know the real percentage of minorities that go there and whether it is a friendly and safe campus?</p>
<p><a href=“Washington and Lee University Graduation Rate & Demographics | CollegeData”>http://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/college/college_pg06_tmpl.jhtml?schoolId=1580</a> says 3.7% of domestic students are Asian.</p>
<p>Note that 82% of W&L students join fraternities and sororities, according to <a href=“http://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/college/college_pg05_tmpl.jhtml?schoolId=1580”>http://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/college/college_pg05_tmpl.jhtml?schoolId=1580</a> .</p>
<p>W & L has been trying recently to improve their ethnic and other diversity. They’ve begun inviting Jews to campus as well. W & L has a long history of association with their Confederate legacy and they’re trying to change that image. Robert E. Lee and his family are buried beneath the school chapel, and after quite a few requests from members of the Black student body the school has moved to make some changes in the chapel and to express regret for their one-time ownership of slaves. </p>
<p><a href=“http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/washington-and-lee-university-to-remove-confederate-flags-following-protests/2014/07/08/e219e580-06bb-11e4-8a6a-19355c7e870a_story.html”>http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/washington-and-lee-university-to-remove-confederate-flags-following-protests/2014/07/08/e219e580-06bb-11e4-8a6a-19355c7e870a_story.html</a></p>
<p>W & L’s student body may be more conservative than many others, and it’s not clear how these changes will affect applications or alumni giving. Recently, W&L received a $50 million dollar gift that has enabled them to recruit students from all over the country with high stats. Just how much anti-Asian, anti-semitic, anti-Black, or other prejudice one would experience there, compared to other schools, I don’t have any way of knowing.</p>
<p>W&L is a conservative university without a lot of diversity in its student body or teacher ranks. They have been trying to increase this as of late which is probably why you got the invitation. If you’re looking for a school with a diverse student body, W&L isn’t where you should be looking. </p>
<p>I don’t think you’ll have any issues with safety or friendliness. If it interests you at all, you should apply and give it some consideration. You can always decide to not attend but you may find that it is a very good option. </p>
<p>It is an extremely safe campus. It is friendly, but I think can also be cliquey. The school is trying hard to increase diversity but tends to move at a deliberate pace and I don’t think will hurry the issue. The students are bright, and the school likes athletes and loves extroverts. The Johnson Scholarship Program is a fantastic merit package. I don’t know the number of minority students but it is low, although growing. You can be part of the problem or part of the solution. 
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<p>Here’s a bit more about the latest class:
<a href=“http://news.blogs.wlu.edu/2014/09/05/washington-and-lee-first-year-students-set-records-for-qualifications-and-financial-aid/”>http://news.blogs.wlu.edu/2014/09/05/washington-and-lee-first-year-students-set-records-for-qualifications-and-financial-aid/</a></p>
<p>I don’t think there’s any way for a minority student to be “part of the problem.” Either they want to attend the school or they don’t.</p>
<p>It seems like this topic comes up every year and I wonder what the point is in constantly bringing it up. There are so many colleges to choose from, and they are not all the same. If a college was formed during a different era, it can only move forward, not backwards in time. It can not change history, but it could change the future and it seems the college is making an effort to do that. </p>
<p>I think what is meant as part of the problem or part of the solution is as Hanna says- do you want to attend the school as it is today and help it grow or attend a more diverse university? Someone with the academic credentials to attend this school would very likely have that choice. </p>