Loyola was ranked number one in race/class interactions in the Princeton Review’s southeastern region last year, but fell to number nine this year.

Each year, thousands of students vote on areas like academics, campus life and social scene to determine what schools will end up on The Princeton Review’s college ranking list.

Though Loyola’s ranking fell, placing in the top ten for race/ class interactions is still considered an accomplishment for the University, according to Sal Liberto, vice president for enrollment management. There are always more ways students can continue to improve our diversity, he said.

“Anything we can do to express our uniqueness, express our cultures and have conversations about what we have in common with each other is only going to help,” said Liberto.

Devante Williams, president of the Black Student Union, agrees with Liberto.

“People can join organizations of different cultures and try to expand to a culture that is different than theirs and partake in that cultural experience. They can go out of their way to connect to another person or culture,” he said.

Liberto thinks the drop in ranking is not an accurate reflection of what is happening on Loyola’s campus.

“I think our campus is diverse any way you slice it: economically, geographically and ethnically,” said Liberto.

Loyola’s campus has actually become more diverse over the past few years. Forty-nine percent of the 2016 class was an ethnic minority compared to 39.3 percent of the class of 2014.

“I’m very proud of our university as a place where everyone can feel welcome and have success,” said Liberto.

Loyola has a variety of clubs and organizations devoted to the promotion of diversity on campus like the Black Student Union, International Student Association and the Muslim Students Association.

Williams doesn’t think that the drop in ranking will affect enrollment at Loyola or in ethnic organizations.

“I think it’s more of a benefit to have that ranking,” said Williams.

Liberto agrees, “Our enrollment of diverse students has grown and has allowed for very strong student life, especially for groups that are aimed at supporting diverse students.”

Corinne Schnee, music industry junior, agrees that Loyola supports a culturally and ethnically diverse atmosphere.

“My feeling is that where I’m from has a lot of diversity, and when I moved to the South I noticed a separation between races. But at Loyola, there’s a lot of diversity, so it feels like home,” Schnee said.

Mary Jameson can be reached at [email protected]