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IU is the "alternative" university for folks with roots in the Balkans ~ that's where I first met Serbs, Croats, Montenegrans, Bosniaks, etc. And, due to early Hungarian immigrants, the state has always been quite open to vowel challenged Eastern Europeans anyway.

Guys from the East Coast, in that light, ain't no thang!

Of note, up until last year IU was the only place in North America where you could study any of the Sa'ami (Lapplander languages). Noticed a lady now teaches something about them at Ohio State.

There are over 25 schools in Europe that teach something of these languages.

Then there are the (this is not a joke) the other 180 languages currently available to study there. I think you need them to run libraries or something, or maybe it's the Air Force intelligence program. If you are really into studying languages, this is your place.

Also, the Dalai Lama’s brother was a professor there, teaching Altaic language studies (he and his wife still live there and own/operate two Tibetan restaurants).

I both went to school and worked at IU and had a great experience. I’ve visited hundreds of college campuses and there are few any more beautiful than IU.

Myles Brand did his best to ruin the school, and I will forever have a difficult time fully moving past the Bob Knight firing, but it’s a special place. I loved the comment about people being more optimistic there. Yes, while a liberal campus, there is a strong undercurrent of good, conservative Midwestern values.