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/