Students Of All Faiths Finding Religious Selves

3-27-98
University Park, Pa. -- Patrick Hicks, a Ph.D. candidate in computer science, gets up every morning at 6 a.m., reads the scriptures for more than a hour, then attends Mass. In the evening, he often is involved with other students in Bible study.

"The religious aspect of my University experience is central to my life," he said. "I came to Penn State with no Christian upbringing. But, I was baptized into the Catholic Church last Easter and it has become a huge part of my everyday life."

Jennifer Keller, a sophomore in elementary education, found her spiritual home-away-from home in Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life.

"My spiritual life is very important to me," she said. "It gives me a sense of identity. On a personal level, it is my Jewish home-away-from home. I'm welcome. I can be with people who have beliefs similar to mine."

Their concern with the religious or spiritual aspects of their lives is not uncommon among today's college students. According to Kenneth Clarke, director of the Center for Ethics and Religious Affairs, there is a revived amount of interest in religion on campuses nationwide that is being reflected at the University.

"Students are looking for meaning and purpose in the midst of an explosion of the information age and technological advances," he said. "Out of that experience, and despite the fact that more is at hand, they are seeking meaning and a sense of direction and hope to grasp some core values that can give some orientation to their lives.

"Unlike the 1950s, there is not just a Protestant, Catholic or Jewish revival of religion. This is a quest across many faiths, locally and nationally. There is a real desire to find meaning."

"As a culture," added Alicia Anderson, campus minister for Lutheran Campus Ministry, "people are looking for meaning in life through spirituality, but they do not always find it through traditional church structures.

"My greatest challenge is helping students figure out what it means to be a Christian when not in a worship setting. When they are not in a worship setting, they often aren't sure how to live out their faith."

Anderson said the most difficult, yet most important, thing individuals do is struggle to find a faithful way to live their lives.

"Society doesn't emphasize that," she said. "Society focuses on consumerism, prestige and the like. But we can help students by encouraging them to think about choices, by calling them to accountability in caring ways."

Evidence of the importance of religion to Penn State students can be seen in the Catholic community, the largest faith community at University Park with some 10,000 students, from which to draw approximately one-fourth of the total campus enrollment. Mass is held five times on weekends and twice daily. The largest mass in Schwab Auditorium, at 9 p.m. Sunday, attracts between 700 and 800 students every week.

"The importance of faith and religion to our students is revealed by their commitment to come to Sunday worship," the Rev. Fred Byrne, director of the Penn State Catholic Community, said. "It is an important part of their lives." For the 4,000 Jewish students on campus, Hillel tries to create an environment in which students can live independently away from home and feel comfortable.

"Judaism is a way of life," Tuvia Abramson, Hillel executive director, said. "Religion plays a major role, but we also try to provide for the cultural, educational and social needs of the Jewish students by creating programming to answer their needs. Many of our students are away from home for the first time and they struggle to find themselves, to define who they are.

"In terms of the spiritual aspect, we try to help them maintain their value system and their roots. We also create an atmosphere in which they can feel free to express their religious belief without feeling discomfort from being different."

Penn State has a long history of supporting the spiritual and religious aspects of student life. The Helen Eakin Eisenhower Chapel is one of the earliest campus buildings constructed with private contributions. In the Association of College and University Religious Affairs, Penn State is one of only a few public universities represented.

The local newspaper, the Centre Daily Times, still prints daily prayers of John Henry Frizzell, former long-time University chaplain who died in 1976. Because of legal concerns over separation of church and state, the chaplain position has evolved over time to the more administrative function of director.

"But it still involves providing an opportunity for students, faculty and staff to become voluntarily engaged in opportunities for religious growth and programming on issues where society and religious faith intersect," said Thomas G. Poole, assistant vice provost for educational equity and former director of the Center for Ethics and Religious Affairs for 10 years. Importance of the role at Penn State has owed itself to close connection to the Office of Student Affairs, where there is a concern for the holistic development of students. Spiritual development is folded into that package, according to Poole.

"We're not asking that students check their religious sentiments at the gate and pick them up at commencement," Poole said. "We've provided opportunities for them. Our approach centers on practice by all and domination by none. Virtually any kind of religious organization in society can be found here, if it is a registered student organization and plays by the rules."

Mike Baer, a senior architectural engineering major and president of Christian Student Fellowship, had no aspirations of becoming leader of a student religious organization when he first enrolled at the University.

"After my freshman year, I discovered a lot of opportunities for spiritual guidance," he said. "At Penn State you have a chance to try different fellowships and I found my fit with the Christian Student Fellowship. I was missing God in my life. Without that, I don't know where I'd be now."

Thomas Eakin, former assistant vice president for student affairs, who served for six years as director of religious affairs, also cited the openness of the University over the years in "encouraging students to pursue their faith as they see it within the University rather than making it off limits."

"As a result of this encouragement and openness ... there are a tremendous number of student religious organizations active on campus."

Eakin said the presence of Eisenhower Chapel is a symbolic, as well as a real example that the University sees the religious experience as an important part of University life, rather than sending a message that it should be done or practiced elsewhere rather than on campus.

Eisenhower Chapel is, the cornerstone of religious activity on the University Park campus. In addition to its 125-seat all-faith worship facility, it provides meditation and meeting rooms, study lounges and offices for a variety and diversity of campus ministries.

The 30 student religious organizations on campus use its meeting rooms. It houses the Center for Ethics and Religious Affairs, and is home to more than 20 campus ministries professionals. Here you can find Hillel, Episcopal Campus Ministry, United Campus Ministry, Christian Student Fellowship, Penn State Catholic Community, International Christian Fellowship, Lutheran Campus Ministry, Asian American Christian Fellowship, Muslim Student Association, Unitarian Universalists and others.

"I liken it to a little United Nations of faith. The crossroads of faith intersect here," said Rev. Byrne. "Students should be aware of other faith communities because we have to learn to work together. Eisenhower provides a microcosm of the larger world."

In addition, the University Park campus presents a unique opportunity for learning about other faiths in that some 2,400 international students are enrolled. One of the most visual aspects of religious activity on campus can be seen in the community where students practice their faith helping others.

The Christian Student Fellowship touches the community through weekly ministries at a nursing home, the Central Counties Youth center and its "Big Dudes, Little Dudes" program. Some students in the Penn State Catholic Community are involved in a prison ministry every Sunday at Rockview State Penitentiary. Hillel, in conjunction with other campus ministries and several academic departments, sponsors interfaith trips to the Holocaust Memorial Museum. During spring break, students can be found building homes for Habitat for Humanity, working in a women's shelter, assisting people in poor villages in Haiti, and working on neighborhood projects with the Miami Rescue Mission.

"Part of being a Christian is helping God's people," William 'Buzz' Roberts, campus minister in the Christian Student Fellowship, said. "There is a natural tendency to share what you have discovered with other people and help those less fortunate because that is one of the basic teachings of the Bible.

"Another reason for the interest in these projects is the close relationship the students build with one another as part of their growth pattern. There is a desire to want to stand next to each other and work together."

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Contact: Bill Campbell (814) 865-7517 (office)