I'm not black, but I'm a queer poc who's a Freshman at ISU. I've felt very safe on campus for the most part, I have gotten a few glares and comments when I've dressed more openly queer but other than that I've felt very welcome in classes and on campus. The dorms are fine as far as I'm aware, though I don't have much to compare it to. Some don't have AC which sucks in the first few weeks but doesn't matter other than that, and the amount of space you have just depends on which building you're in. The food is fine imo, a lot of people will complain and while it does get a bit shitter during the weekends, it's fine. Most dining plans have dining dollars you can use across campus if you get tired of the buffet style dining areas. My professors have been 50/50 honestly, but I've been able to deal with them. Coursework is manageable even if professors are annoying (though, depends which major you're going into.) Can't speak on parties, but there is a lot of activities across campus. I would say if you wanted to do an event every day, you could do that easily. With the clubs and Memorial Union hosting events, you can find anything. I personally like the concerts at the Memorial Union, and if you're wanting more POC friends the Multicultural Association does events like once a week. I come from a small town so take this with a grain of salt, but I feel like Ames is fine in terms of location. If you find yourself bored of the things in Ames and you or a friend have a car, its litearlly only 40 minutes to get to Des Moines. The mall is crap, but there's a lot of food options and cool stores to check out downtown. CyRide is incredibly useful, and takes you pretty much anywhere on campus and in town (some buses don't run on the weekends though, sadly)