CHRISTIAN HARTSELLE | chartsel@butler.edu | Opinion Columnist

The Bulldog dating scene is made strange by the uneven ratio of men to women. The gender gap at Butler University is no secret—our university has a ratio of 39 percent male and 61 percent female, according to the 2014-15 US News & World Report profile of the university.

In freshman Tatiana Robinson’s MS 100 class, they reviewed Butler’s admissions’ statistics as a class assignment. Their findings demonstrated that 5,376 females and 3,981 males applied to Butler University for the fall of 2014.

Not only did more women apply, but 69 percent of female applicants were accepted, compared to only 61 percent of male applications.

The U.S. Census Bureau reflects that, in general, females overshadow males in college enrollment. Since 2000, 57 percent of American college enrollments have been women.

The Pew Research Center has attempted to pinpoint the cause of this imbalance.

While it attributed the difference in percentages to the benefits of a college degree among the barriers of the labor market for women, they have also pointed out that men have a higher incidence of disciplinary issues and behavioral struggle.

Meanwhile, women tend to earn higher grades, while men are more likely to drop out of school.

Robinson said she thinks Butler’s gender gap affects the dating environment and, subsequently, the entire atmosphere of the university’s social life.

“It’s more good than bad,” Robinson said. “Girls are really tough. They are judgmental and rude. And some girls think they will meet their husband here. But, being more girls than guys here, it is kind of like a competition. It is a fight to have guys notice you.”

In addition to issues with other women, a 2008 National Center for Education Statistics article showed the gender gap in college causes women to give more negative evaluations of men about the campus and relationships.

“(Women) go on fewer traditional dates, are less likely to have had a college boyfriend, and are more likely to be sexually active—gender imbalances affect the likelihood of a successful search for a relationship,” the report said.

With the knowledge of the disproportion between genders, both male and female students should be mindful of their behaviors.

Guys are not entitled to women on campus just because of the numbers.

Women on campus should not feel pressured to win the contest and bring a boy home.

Equality between genders is created by smart choices, not by a percentage.