ETA:

I was just notified that the Tariq Ramadan lecture has been posted on you tube, so I plan to watch that this week.  Unfortunately, I won't be able to watch it before this project is due, but I am excited to see the event that I was looking forward to!

Week 11:

Upon completion of this project, I have many more questions than answers.  Which I think might be the point.  I have always been proud of my openness to people different from myself, but I was shocked to realize that this project helped me to make my first Muslim friend.  As a Women’s Studies degree holder and a feminist, I have committed myself to working to make the world a better place for women.  And yet I had never talked to anyone about the significance of the veil in Islam, and – in addition to the religious connection – what a feminist statement that might be. 

            I am sorry that I did not have the opportunity to interview a Jewish student this term, however that is the religious tradition I am most familiar with.  I would have liked to have talked to more students, and this project reminded me how much I enjoy my chances to interact with students on campus.  My role as a fundraiser limits my student connection, which is one of the only things I dislike about my job. 

Moving forward, I hope to continue to grow in my understanding of diverse student populations.  As John Hardt has said, “the atheist on campus is as important as the Jesuit.”  Dialogue with people who are different from us is what allows us to grow, and I hope that I will take with me the commitment to discovery that this project has encouraged in me.

Week 10:

This week, I received an invitation from VN to join her for a MSA sponsored event at the lake shore campus.  I was pleased that it would be held on a Saturday afternoon, and agreed to meet her there.  The MSA had arranged for Tariq Ramadan, Oxford Professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies to speak on the topic “Islamic Principles, Western Perspectives, and the Arab Awakening.” 

Unfortunately, when I arrived on campus, I found out that the event had been postponed due to the speaker not arriving on time.  VN had found out about the delay earlier in the day and had tried to reach me, but I missed her email.  I was disappointed to miss this event, because I anticipated it being a situation where I would be the odd person out, and would be taken a bit out of my comfort zone.  I went to the room the event was scheduled to take place in, but because the event organizers had communicated via the facebook page, student attendees knew not to show up at the scheduled time.  I didn’t see VN, and it was unclear whether the event was delayed or cancelled, so I made the decision to return home.

This was to be my primary exercise for the week, and I used up much of the time I allocated for it in transit.  When I arrived home, I did some online research on Tariq Ramadan, who seems very interesting, but I don’t have much depth to report this week.

Week 9:

This week, a brief letter to the editor in the Chronicle of Higher Education caught my attention.  This letter dealt with Christian Privilege, which – to this point in the project – had not been a concept that had occurred to me to cover.  I went looking for an academic article on this topic, and settled on “Christian Privilege, History, and Trends in U.S. Religion” by Ellen Fairchild.  This article really had an impact on me.  I am so unaware of the privilege I walk around with every day.  I am white.  Heterosexual.  Christian.  Born and raised in the US, as were several generations of my family before me.  Sometimes I bemoan the fact that my family doesn’t have a lot of traditions.  We are so very “American” that we don’t know much about where our ancestors came from.  Our holidays are the typical Christian American holidays, and we don’t have anything special outside of that. 

I have a fairly diverse group of friends, and have been invited to Orthodox Easter celebrations, Summer Solstice events, and Hanukah parties.  Whenever I am invited to something out of the norm for me, I find myself jealous.  I want that connection to who I am, to where I have come from.  I have moved so far from religion, and my family is so far from who we were before we were American, that we have nothing unique to us anymore.  In my privileged bubble, I have never once stopped to consider the downside to having a non-typical experience.  Hanukah falls during a time when the whole country is bombarded with Christmas messages.  No one worries if Ramadan falls during finals.  My son’s public school was closed for a “local holiday” on Good Friday, but Passover went without mention. 

As a Catholic institution, I am not yet sure what I feel Loyola’s responsibility is to students of diverse religions.  But I am certainly much more aware of the variety of challenges non-Christian students face on our campus.

(http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.flagship.luc.edu/doi/10.1002/ss.302/pdf)

Week 8:

This week, our class readings and discussion allowed me an opportunity to reflect on the two student interviews I completed.  Baxter Magolda’s theory of self-authorship is an interesting lens to use to try to understand the development that these two students are undergoing while on campus as undergraduates.  I wonder about the progression through the phases of self-authorship from arrival on campus to the time that they leave, and what impact the external influences of exposure to another religion have on their personal definition and identification of their faith. 

VN was very interesting in this sense, as she took a dramatic step in her external declaration of faith shortly before coming to Loyola.  By deciding to wear the veil, she placed her religion front and center for everyone to see.  It seems to me that she completed phases 1 and 2 as a high school student, and came to Loyola is stage 3.  The choice to wear the veil was living out her beliefs, and doing so against the wishes of her parents was even more so an act of self-authorship. 

MA, although older than VN, does not seem to be as far down the path toward self-authorship.  She seems to be confused about the role of religion in her life, and concerned about the potential of returning to Nepal where she will have to confront her confusion about the importance she places on Hinduism in her future.  In particular, her concern about her family’s reactions to her “American ideas” on religion tell me that she may be in phase 1.  When in Nepal, she did not question her faith, even though she attended a Catholic school where attempts were made to convert her.  But, once separated from her family and in an unfamiliar setting, she became more open to the idea of Catholicism, and has delicately approached acceptance of Catholic religious ideals while here on campus.  MA might benefit (if maintaining a commitment to Hinduism is important to her) from a stronger tie to a Hindi community either on campus or in the Chicago area.

Week 7:

This week I met with a Hindi Loyola student, and it was a completely different experience from my last interview.  VN is a sophomore whose parents live in the Chicago area.  Her sister is a freshman at Loyola, and they have a very close relationship with each other and with their parents.  MA, the Hindi student, is a graduate student from Tibet.  Her family lives in Tibet, and she is struggling with whether to remain in the US after graduation or to return to Tibet to be closer to her family.  MA was extremely shy, and for every question I asked, I had to practically pry the answer out of her.  She seemed almost embarrassed to be talking about herself, and was very uncomfortable discussing Hinduism.

MA was raised in Tibet, and attended Catholic school there because of the poor quality of the public school system.  We talked extensively about the religious teaching she experienced there, which she said was extensive.  It seems, in her experience, that a pressure to learn about Catholicism is considered a fair trade for a higher quality education, but she said that it had no impact on her as a child.  She was never interested in exploring Catholicism as a religious option for herself.  I told her that it sounded like a negative experience, and she shrugged.  She said that she appreciated the education, but she wouldn’t consider it an enjoyable experience.  So how did she end up in the US at a Catholic university? 

MA had quite a bit of trouble answering this.  She said that the morals of the school were appealing, as was the focus on having a broad world view and a commitment to social justice.  She also felt that she was familiar with Catholic institutions and would be able to navigate well through the religious aspect of the curriculum.

Yet when MA arrived at Loyola, she found herself in somewhat of an identity crisis.  She said that she has struggled to find her place, to find friends, to form bonds.  She does not feel connected to the Hindi student group, but also does not feel completely comfortable with non-Hindi students.  She is interested in learning more about Catholicism, but conflicted about what that means for the faith tradition she was raised in. 

At this point in our discussion, MA told me that she thought she was the exception to the rule, that many of her Hindi friends are happy with their Loyola experience.  I asked her what it was about herself that she thought caused this discontent with the experience, and she was unable to articulate an answer.

She said that she is extremely nervous at the prospect of returning to Tibet, that she is scared she won’t fit in there any longer, either.  She is waiting to hear if she will be offered any of the positions she has interviewed for and, if not, will be leaving the US.  This seemed to be an emotionally difficult time for MA, and I ended the interview wondering if our conversation would have gone differently at a different time in her university experience.

Week 6:

I was thrilled to have the opportunity to interview a Muslim undergraduate student.  When I received an invitation to MSA’s Muslim awareness week, I was disappointed that I could not fit any of the events into my schedule (they were all in the late evening at the lake shore campus).  I emailed back and forth with an SBA student who is active in the MSA, and he arranged to introduce me to VN, a female Muslim undergrad here at Loyola.  In our initial conversation, I was struck by how open and approachable she was, so I asked her if she would be willing to meet me for a more personal conversation.  She was excited to hear about the Voice project, and agreed to talk with me the following week.

The first thing we discussed was the veil that VN proudly wears.  She commented that it was the first thing people see when they meet her, and is therefore a significant part of her identity.  She confessed, however, that she often forgets that it is there, and wonders why people look at her with an inquisitive expression.  She told me the story of how the veil came into her life: although her mother began wearing a veil when her brother was born, she discouraged her daughters from doing the same.  In post September 11th America, her mother felt that it was an unnecessarily dangerous expression of their faith.  Despite this objection, VN began wearing the veil when she was 16.  The family was moving from the South to Chicago, and she felt that this dramatic life change was a good time to make a dramatic declaration of her faith’s importance in her life.  The morning of her first day at her new school, she put on the veil before coming downstairs.  Her parents were anxious, and tried to change her mind, but she persisted. 

I asked if she got any negative reaction from her new peers, and she said that the response was mostly positive.  She has felt more strongly tied to her faith since wearing the veil, and has not regretted her choice.  I asked whether she had found the same acceptance at Loyola, and she said that she felt completely accepted, welcomed, and embraced here.

As we transitioned to talking directly about her Loyola experience, I asked my most pressing question.  Why, as a Muslim, did she choose a Catholic university?  She laughed, and told me that her family had moved to Chicago for her dad to take a position at Loyola’s medical school, so she had very few other options than to attend Loyola.  Additionally, she graduated from high school a year early, so her parents wanted her as close to home as possible.  VN shared that they did not look into any other schools when she applied to Loyola.  Had she not gotten in, she would have waited a year until she was the traditional college age before applying elsewhere. 

In hindsight, VN feels that she would choose Loyola again, even if given other options.  The values of the institution are important to her, and she feels that they correlate closely to her personal values.  She has also found herself to be pleased with the required exploration of other faith traditions.  She has enjoyed her theology classes, and has felt more closely tied to her Muslim faith due to the consideration of other ideas.  I asked if she thought she was the exception in this case, or if other Muslim students she knew felt differently, and she told me she thought that most students feel that they benefit from dialogue with students different from themselves.  She has not heard objections to the theology requirements from anyone in her social circle.

VN shared with me that all of the religious student groups have their offices on the same floor of the Mundelein Center.  She finds this to be a wonderful example of the phrase “a home for all faiths.”  There are regular opportunities for interaction among the student groups, and opportunities for casual encounters in the common areas around the offices.  VN feels that this allows for a greater awareness of the events and activities of the other groups, and places them all on the same level of importance. 

I learned so much from my conversation with VN, and I was thrilled to hear that the “Home for all faiths” slogan is true in her experience.  The only suggestion for improvement that she offered was the possible creation of a prayer space on the water tower campus.  VN prays 5 times daily, and needs a quiet space to do so.  The facility on the lake shore campus is perfectly suited to this, but water tower only has a study space in the library allocated for this use.  It is not widely publicized, and she told me that she only found it by accident.  It seems like this could be an easy fix with a great benefit, so I told her I would pass the feedback onto a colleague in the mission and ministry office.

After our visit, VN and I emailed back and forth several times.  We really got along well, and both enjoyed the conversation a great deal.  She told me that it was nice to explain core aspects of her faith to someone who was unfamiliar, and that she learned/remembered a lot from the exercise.  We plan to keep in touch!

Week 5:

This week, in anticipation of student interviews happening soon, I concentrated on organizing my thoughts around my interview questions.  I plan to keep the interviews informal, but want to have a general outline of what I hope to uncover during my conversations.

·         Tell me about your background: your family, your high school, etc

·         How important is your faith tradition in your life?  How important is it to your parents?

·         Did you attend regular religious worship sessions as a child?

·         Why did you choose to apply to Loyola?

·         Did Loyola’s Catholicism appeal to you?  Was it a negative?  Or was it a non-issue?  Why?

·         How do you define religion?  Spirituality?  Faith?

·         Do you have close friends on campus who are of different religions?  If not, why do you think this is?

·         What has your interaction been with Catholic traditions since you arrived on campus?  Have you attended Mass? 

·         Does Loyola support students of your religion?  Are there adequate facilities, student groups?

·          Do faculty seem open to ideas from a non-Catholic perspective?

·         Have you ever felt discriminated against on campus?  If so, who was the perpetrator of the discrimination?

·         Do you feel that the student support staff you come into contact with are knowledgeable of your faith tradition?  Should they be?  How could they improve, if needed?

·         What is a Catholic institution’s responsibility to students of other faiths?

·         Is Loyola’s statement “a home for all faiths” lived in practice on campus?  By administrators? Faculty?  Staff?

·         How has your Loyola experience compared to what you expected it to be?

·         Do you feel that your experience with the Theology course requirement has challenged your faith (that you brought to campus with you) or deepened it?  Elaborate on this/...

·         Based on your Loyola experience, would you recommend Loyola/a Jesuit institution/a religious institution to a student of your faith tradition who is considering applying?

·         Are there opportunities on campus that I could participate in that would help me understand your experience more deeply?

·         Is there anything I haven’t asked that you feel a student affairs professional on campus should be aware of

Week 4:

In my initial survey of news articles relating to my voice, I came across two that really stood out.  The Washington Post article “U.S. Catholic universities seeing influx of Muslim students” and the Chronicle of Higher Education’s article “A Christian College Devotes a Chapel to Many Faiths.”  These two articles stood out to me because they tied directly to the experience that I am exploring for this project, and they offer concrete examples of what a number of religious institutions are doing to accept, manage, or dissuade religious diversity on their campuses. 

In the Post article, the experiences of a number of Muslim students at Catholic University are discussed.  The author notes that the number of Muslim students on that campus more than doubled in the five year period from 2006 to 2010 (when the article was published), with many of the Muslim students being international.  The article quoted a student:

“Because it is an overtly religious place, it's not strange or weird to care about your religion here, to pray and make God a priority," said Shabnan, a political science major who often covers her head with a pale beige scarf. "They have the same values we do.”

But why are Muslim students choosing Catholic University, when the institution is closing itself off from embracing diversity?  The article notes that the University has no co-ed dorms, has a policy against extramarital sex, and has common daily prayers.  All things that would appeal to a student of any faith who chooses to live their life in a conservative manner.  Yet, the University denied an application for the creation of a Muslim student group, and other student groups whose “beliefs run contrary to church teaching.”  To contrast, Georgetown University hired a Muslim Chaplain more than 10 years ago, has a prayer room, and a Muslim student association. 

I tend to be quite skeptical, and think of modern religious institutions with some suspicion that they may be – under the surface – thinly veiled attempts to convert diverse peoples, like some efforts I learned about in the History of Higher Ed course.  The student quotes in this article really moved me, and they make me believe that exposure to new ideas and different faith traditions could be mutually beneficial for both the student and for the institution.  Open dialogue on faith allows us to explore our own beliefs more thoroughly, and thus ties us more strongly to our faith tradition. 

The article on Chapman University’s Fish Interfaith Center was a beautiful example of an openness to facilitating interfaith dialogue.  I found the descriptions in the article so moving that I explored it further by visiting Chapman’s website and looking at photos of the center.  Chapman is a Disciples of Christ institution, which is the church I was married in.  My husband was raised a Disciple of Christ, a name which I always thought sounded like a cult.  In my first meeting with a pastor, however, I found the church to be open to modern ideas, to people of diverse traditions, and overall quite liberal.  The Chapman experience confirms that for me. 

This article also relates some of the openness to diverse faith traditions to monetary reasons.  Institutions found that they could not generate enough students if they remained restricted to their own faith tradition.  If you allow students into your institution because you need their money, does that require you to maintain a certain level of welcoming acceptance to them?  It seems that different institutions handle this in different ways.  Chapman has gone all the way in attempting to make a place where diverse students can interact together, where students of all faith traditions can be comfortable, and yet a place that remains true to their faith tradition.  I think this is amazing, and I would love to see it in person!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/19/AR2010121904199.html

http://chronicle.com.flagship.luc.edu/article/A-Christian-College-Devotes-a/7014/

Week 3:

Among religious institutions, there is a great amount of diversity.  Loyola, the religious institution I have the most experience with, happens to be very open-minded, but I know that many institutions are not this way.  This week, I read a number of articles, several of which discussed the benefits of education from a Christian institution.  In one article, the author affirms Parks’ thoughts on mentoring communities, stating “Relationships are an important part of any educational experience. Students away from home for the first time will find relational aspects of their education even more crucial” (Ledbetter).  Factors that would allow for more mutually beneficial relationships to develop, according to the author, are the typically smaller size of Christian institutions, and the, compared to public institutions, more wholesome environment offered on their campuses. 

I hadn’t considered this perspective, and I must say that I can see the point.  If I were a parent in a more typically conservative faith tradition, I might be more comfortable with my child attending a conservative school of a different faith tradition than a large, impersonal public college.  The wholesome values that the author mentions are also a compelling argument.  Students at a more conservative Christian schools may be more likely to have the same personal values and standards of conduct expected of, say, a Muslim.  The exposure to differing religious views might be a worthwhile trade-off for the sense of comfort offered by better fitting in with the values of fellow students.

Several of the articles I found showed me that it is becoming more common for religious institutions to open themselves to welcoming students of other faith traditions.  I came across an article from 2010 on Claremont Seminary, which is adding the Muslim and Jewish faiths to its curriculum.  This is happening despite protests from the Methodist Church.  I find this idea fascinating, and a quote from the Seminary’s President sums up the beauty of the idea: “We want to be able to facilitate love among our different traditions in order that we can begin to solve the big problems” (Landsberg, 2010).

A 2010 interview with the newly hired Duke University Chaplain offers insight into the growing services for Muslim students on American campuses.  He notes that the number of Muslim students on campuses is increasing, and that – due to recent world events – people are interested in learning about Islam.  He projected that the number of Muslim campus chaplains would continue to rapidly increase in the coming years.  In an article discussing what attracts non-Christians to Christian colleges, author Bellesi theorizes that Christian institutions are becoming more open due to financial need, that Christian students alone will not pay the bills.  The article references the experience of a Muslim student at Lipscomb College, a southern Christian institution.  The student was not aware of the religious affiliation and Chapel requirement until arriving on campus, but feels that the exposure is good for her.  More important was finding “a school that would have her major and keep her close to home” (Bellesi). This article also references a book, “The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner’s Semester at America’s Holiest University” which might be very interesting to read if time allows.  The author was a student at Brown when he decided to spend a semester at Liberty University, founded by Jerry Falwell.

I found two articles that very directly relate to my voice, but I would like to devote more time to analyzing them, so I am saving them for next week.  I have managed to identify a Muslim student who is willing to meet with me, and have reached out to a Hindi student, too.  I’m hoping to complete those interviews in late-March, so I will need to come up with interview questions in the next few weeks.

Week 2:

For my first project, I decided to undertake a search for journal articles relating to students with my voice.  Unfortunately, after much searching, I must concede that this issue seems to have not yet been the subject of any accessible academic articles.  I turned to the Chronicle of Higher Education to see what the popular dialogue might be on this subject.  This search uncovered many articles relating to religion and college, but nothing directly related to my area of interest. 

Sharon Daloz Parks (1986a) has focused her research on “the role higher education plays in the development of faith for young adults” (Evans et al, 2010, p. 202).  Young adulthood, which Parks defines as beginning at age seventeen, is important because it is at this time that “individuals begin the process of taking responsibility for themselves, including their faith” (Evans, 2010, p. 203).  Using Parks’ theory, then, college could be viewed as a critical period of faith development.  Students are away from home, away from their parent’s daily influence, and are determining what is important to them.  During Parks’ (2000) stage of “fragile inner dependence”, individuals are “particularly vulnerable and need support [and] mentors are needed guide and reinforce their new identities” (Evans, 2010, p. 204).  At an institution with a faith tradition different than their own, students will benefit from authority figures familiar with their religious beliefs to guide and mentor their religious development.

When choosing a university, students of diverse faith traditions should investigate the resources available to support them as they question, affirm, dismiss, and commit to their faith.  It could also be helpful to investigate the number of students of the same faith tradition on campus.  Parks (2000) refers to “mentoring communities” which “support young adults as they distance themselves from the conventions and beliefs of their pasts” (as cited in Evans, 2010, p. 205).  Being able to surround oneself with others undergoing the same process could be a strong source of comfort for students who are already in the minority on campus.

After my inability to find scholarly articles on my voice, I began searching the Chronicle of Higher Education and other internet sites for news articles regarding non-Christian students looking at Christian colleges and universities.  I also began to try to identify a few students to speak with on Loyola's campus.  Below is the list of the articles I discovered in my searching, which I will discuss in next week's post. 

http://www.collegeview.com/articles/article/benefits-of-a-christian-higher-education

http://chronicle.com.flagship.luc.edu/article/For-Many-Muslim-Students/2061/

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/19/AR2010121904199.html


http://chronicle.com.flagship.luc.edu/article/A-Christian-College-Devotes-a/7014/

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jun/09/local/la-me-claremont-20100609


http://chronicle.com.flagship.luc.edu/article/5-Minutes-With-Duke-Us/65435/

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pepperdine-university/376450-non-christian-students-pepperdine.html

http://www.christianpost.com/news/religious-colleges-choose-not-to-recognize-secular-student-groups-60887/

http://www.collegebound.net/content/non-christians-heed-call-christian-colleges/

Week 1:

     For the voice project, I have chosen to explore the experience of non-Christian students at Christian universities.  As a former Catholic, my Loyola experience is unique.  I understand the faith tradition, and am comfortable with Catholicism, yet chose to leave the Church when I was an undergraduate student.  Shortly before arriving at Loyola, I formally became a member of the Episcopal Church.  I often find myself in the position of explaining that “I’m not Catholic, but I was raised in the Church.” 

     I often find myself wondering what others at the University think of my decision to leave the Catholic Church, but have never felt judged, shamed, or un-welcome.  In fact, the priests and nuns I am close to on campus have been more understanding of my decision than many members of my family.  Because of this, I have always believed the statement that Loyola is “a home for all faiths” to be true.  I am Christian, however, and I have wondered if my level of comfort is in some way tied to that. 

     In many ways, I don’t understand what would draw a non-Christian student to a Christian institution.  I assume that the students who would take on this circumstance would be quite confident in their faith, and able to somewhat ignore the religious activity around them, or not strongly tied to their religious tradition, and therefore open to new experiences.  I wonder, also, what the parents are thinking.  College is such a time of exploration; is it possible that students are succeptible to religious transition based on their university experience?

     Loyola’s Division of Student Development’s “Religious Life” web page lists the following:

“Loyola welcomes students of various faith traditions and denominations and encourages collaborative, constructive interfaith and ecumenical dialogues on campus. Celebrate your faith and explore other traditions through Catholic Life, Protestant Ministry, Hillel Jewish Center, the Hindu Students Association and student run Puja Room, and Muslim Students Association and student-run Mosque.”

     That certainly sounds welcoming.  In my five years on Loyola’s campus, I have seen evidence of true religious diversity.  I have seen posters advertising events, shopped at bake sales supporting Hillel, seen female students wearing veils.  But I don’t know what calls them to our campus, and I am very interested to find out.  This semester, I will attempt to explore the experience of non-Christian students at Christian institutions.  Specifically, I plan to interview three Loyola undergraduates involved in Hillel, Hindu Students Association, and the Muslim Students Association.  I will attempt to attend one event or student group meeting on campus, and will do online research to see what I can learn about national trends. 

The Voice Project

This is the principal repository of my learning and insights this semester on my journey to experience the “voice” of non-Christian students studying at Christian institutions of higher education.

Included is a dated sequence (at least once a week) of reflective notes and summaries of a variety of readings, references, experiences, and observations in regard to my voice.