Recent studies have found that college students in North America display a high level of interests in spirituality. The UCLA Higher Education Research Institute published the results of their National Study of College Students’ Search for Meaning and Purpose, in which over 100,000 at 236 universities and colleges took part. The study says over 80% of students said that they believed in God; the similar percentage stated that they had attended religious services from time to time during the previous year (Mooney, 2010). Now that it is clear that religion and spirituality play an important role in the lives of college students in the United States, the next question becomes: do colleges and universities need to play a part in supporting their students’ religion and spirituality? And if yes, how can campuses achieve this without undermining diversity and religious freedom?
Even though Christianity was a key driving force in college development across Colonial America, with time, university ceased to be a religious area and turned into a secular territory. For example, in 1928 one Harvard graduate wrote in The Atlantic about a “wholesale apostasy of the younger generation” (Schmalzbauer, 2013, p.115). At the same time, even though certain religious denominations faced lower student participation, others have seen expansion and revival since the 1960s, so that the college campus has been called a “spiritual marketplace” (Schmalzbauer, 2013, p.116). Since colleges and universities are spaces where emerging adults form their identities, they should not neglect the students’ need in spiritual and religious seeking. This can be achieved by offering a number of religious options on campus (Schmalzbauer, 2013). For example, at Penn State University, one can find the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center managed by Division of Student Affairs. Finished in 2003, Pasquerilla houses the Center for Ethics and Religious Affairs, which is home to 57 religious groups. Among them, one can find the Catholic Campus Ministry, the Muslim Student Association, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the Vedic Society, the Korean Buddhism Organization, Chabad, as well as the Assembly of God’s Chi Alpha (Schmalzbauer, 2013). The experience of Penn State and other public universities demonstrates that campuses may successfully become places where emerging adults will satisfy their needs of religious and spiritual quest through participation in organized religious groups. The fact that the university has remained a place of steady growth of students’ participation in religious activities well into the 21st century serves the best evidence of the need to consider campus as the flexible space, ready to accommodate students’ religious needs without violating anyone’s religious freedom.
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"Christianity and College Life".
Response 1 (to B’s Response)
I agree that students’ seeking religion and spirituality in college may be supported by offering a variety of religion courses which could be chosen as part of the general education agenda. At the same time, there is a need to look for more direct methods of supporting students’ religious aspirations. Whereas public universities host students from all over the world and should be able to respond to the religious needs of these diverse students (Schmalzbauer, 2013), private colleges may become real places of advancing Christian-based spirituality and core Christian values, in particular by stating this as part of their mission. In public universities, in its turn, at least one building for Christian religious services should be provided.
Response 2 (to J’s Response)
I agree that while American colleges should incorporate diversity in their understanding of campus religious life, they should necessarily invest lots of efforts in running Christian religious groups. For example, I share the view that the involvement in campus ministry programs, regular attendance of services in church, and spending time with those who also believe in Christ helps a person maintain his or her religious beliefs, grow as a Christian and as a spiritual person, and manage the daily routines more effectively. To support this view, it has been found that regular attendance at campus-based religious services increases students’ academic achievement and their satisfaction with college life (Mooney, 2010).
- Mooney, M. (2010). Religion, college grades, and satisfaction among college students at elite colleges and universities. Sociology of Religion, 71 (2), 197-215.
- Schmalzbauer, J. (2013). Campus religious life in America: Revitalization and renewal.
Sociology, 50, 115-131.
