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Incorporating religion into university life
Closed mouths, open minds:
Incorporating religion into university life
Margarita Altidis, Rachel Joyce, Kaitlyn Olson
Rhetoric 105, Section D3
Linda Larsen
May 4, 2011
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Incorporating religion into university life
Abstract
On a college campus like the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, there are many
diverse religious groups. Many students choose to retain their religious habits while on the
campus while others dismiss it as an expression of their freedom from home. In our research,
we hoped to get a general idea about how religion is perceived on campus by students and
professors alike, and if there are factors that affect involvement in religious organizations. Our
research revolved around three main questions: 1) What are the positive and negative effects of
students being “religious” on a college campus? 2) To what extent are religious opinions
considered/tolerated in the classroom, and how do professors and students discuss these
issues within the course? 3) How do religious organizations project themselves on campus, and
how does that affect student participation?
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Incorporating religion into university life
Introduction
Religion is a phenomenon practiced worldwide that differs between individuals. From
Christianity and Judaism, to Atheism and Heathenism, each person may or may not have a
specific religious calling. A college campus, such as University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign,
encompasses a sample of the diversity seen all over the world. We found this research
significant because discussing religion, whether inside or outside of the classroom, helps us
reflect on our own personal beliefs, and the ideologies with which we may come into contact.
Many students continue to retain their religious lives on campus as if they were at home, but
others dismiss it as their power of freedom entitles. On the University of Illinois campus, the
dwindling presence of religious activity in student life and classroom practice can be broken into
three reasons: students feel that there is not enough information to stimulate interest about
religious organizations for them to join one, students have had negative experiences with radical
preaching on campus and form generalizations about all groups, and many students and
professors alike are afraid of offending a larger group of students with their own beliefs.
Literature Review
In our literature review, we found that religion is not often discussed due to a
secularization of public life; many people are unaware of the positive influence religious
discourse has on ones university life, and are afraid to teach the themes and messages that
religious studies provide.
The lacking presence of religious discussion in the university is partly a result of the
political push to increase the secularity of public life. According to James R. Stoner Jr. (2006) in
his article “The ‘Naked’ University,” there are two main reasons for the lack of religious
discourse in the public sphere: the continuous secularization of prominent universities and the
focus of the American university to “the center of American culture” (p. 516). Because the
university has become the center of American culture, Stoner believes “the neglect or
marginalization of theology” in context with the university “has contributed to stripping the public
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Incorporating religion into university life
square of religion and remains a source of hostility to religion even today” (p.516). If at a center
for learning advancement, religion is a taboo subject, where is the proper time and place to
discuss these issues? Therefore, it is up to universities to bring back the importance of
understanding and studying religious theology and text, because they are full of essential
themes relevant to academic departments other than Religious Studies.
Additionally, some of the essential themes found in Religious Studies can be applied to
daily life regardless of any given faith. Professor Linda Bowman (2006) finds religious studies to
be less about theology and more about giving students an outlet to “make sense out of their
lives and to form a constellation of values by which to live” (p. 144). In this way, students who
take Religious Studies courses learn diversity in the beliefs of the world in which they live while
formulating and evaluating their own opinions. Bowman’s point is extremely important to
explaining how religious discourse serves multiple purposes other than an academic one.
College is not only about achieving high academic success, which theological knowledge can
help with, but it is also about finding ways to add purpose and meaning to one’s life. Therefore,
religious discourse is necessary to evaluate and meditate upon one’s personal belief system.
Having an active spiritual presence and a firmly defined belief system can help a student
find social and academic stability. Being closely connected to a higher being can help
immensely when things may start to overwhelm or irritate individuals, or just simply when they
need someone to talk to. In an article by Merill, Read, and LeCheminant's (2009), the authors
found that, "perceived spiritual support was positively associated with the adjustment to college
for freshman who experienced lower levels of stress," and that, "college students who shared
their responsibilities with God tended more towards positive mental health outcomes during
stressful times" (p. 502). For their purposes, they defined religiosity as spending an average of
4.8 hours per week attending or participating in church-related activities. This is a great example
of how joining a group, like a religious organization, with people who practice the same beliefs
could potentially help students stay grounded during stressful times. If students felt as
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Incorporating religion into university life
comfortable expressing their religious views in the classroom as they do with their peers, then
they could better integrate their academic and social life. However, most students feel that they
will be judged or misrepresented if they express their religious opinion in class discussion.
Professor Steven Frye (2007) proposes three models to teaching delicate topics like
religion in a college classroom. They include: the “advocacy model”, where educators
emphasize one particular faith and encourage students to participate in it, the “distanced
objectivity model,” where the goal is to have an unbiased viewpoint of the religion using modern
science and logic, and the “empathetic analytical model,” which is a blend in which professors
show respect to the traditions without advocating for one tradition in particular (p. 12-13). Frye
advocates for the third method because it is a combination of looking at a particular religion
while objectively thinking about its doctrines, and also blending the experiences of the students
and the professors (p. 13). Frye also addresses some helpful hints for educators in general,
mostly emphasizing an open line of communication between student and professor. When
discussing topics that deal with personal beliefs, it is necessary to know that students come with
their own opinions just the same as the professor (p. 14). If professor and student cooperatively
work together to tackle the seemingly difficult course topics, then the topics will be more
approachable and readily debated rather than swept under the carpet.
Because the controversial topics like religion are typically dismissed in the classroom,
and people are uncertain about the reputation of religious organizations, students miss out on
the positive benefits that membership in one of these organizations has. The positive
relationship between the college adjustment and the continuity of religious life is positively
correlated with success in academics. Schebmehl, Cubbellotti, and Van Ornum (2009), found
that about 75% of the 251 sample of college students who rated themselves as more religious
had an overall higher Grade Point Average (GPA) than the sample mean. Also, Margarita
Mooroy (2010) observed that 24% of students who went to religious services once a week or
more, compared with non-attendees, also had higher GPAs (p. 202). This shows how being at
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least somewhat involved with any given religion can yield positive results from adjustment to the
college lifestyle, and the stress that comes along with college.
In the literature review, we found that there has definitely been research about the
positive effects of religion in both a student’s academic and social life on a college campus. The
best way for a student to be well rounded, as per the research, is to feel comfortable enough to
integrate both faith and school into their lives equally.
Methods
Our primary research consisted of six interviews and one anonymous survey.
Four of the interviews were taken from freshmen living in the Van Doren residence hall
who were not involved in religious organizations, one junior deeply involved in her religious
organization, and one professor of English. Some interview questions were: 1) Why are you not
involved in a religious organization? 2) Would you ever consider joining a religious group? 3)
What are your thoughts on religious groups on campus? Elaboration on questions was
encouraged, although each interviewer was careful to tread lightly in hope of not making the
subjects uncomfortable.
The survey was posted on each of our group members’ Facebook pages, as well as
sorority groups on Facebook. This was done to ensure results from a diverse group of students
that would include a wider range of experiences. There were 79 University of Illinois student
participants. The survey contained only questions regarding religion on campus, no identifying
questions like gender or race were asked. Some of the survey questions included: 1) Do you
openly affiliate with a religious organization? 2) Which faith do you associate with? 3) Do your
professors or TA’s openly discuss religion?
Primary Research
In our primary research we found similar results between our survey and interviews
which support our findings. Taking the results, we were able to develop some common
perceptions between the 79 surveyed students and the six interviews.
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The survey participants were asked whether or not they actively participate with a
religious organization on campus; the majority of people (57%) said they did not. On the other
hand, 83.9% of students answered yes to openly affiliating with a religious organization if they
were to be involved in one. For the most part, neither the students surveyed nor most of the
interviewees seemed to know much about religious groups on campus. When Students A, B, C,
and D (anonymous, personal communication, April 7,2011) were asked their take on the way
religious groups project themselves on campus, they all replied that they did not come into
contact with them enough to form an opinion . However, all four students would consider joining
a group in the future if they were given enough information. From this point, it can be assumed
that school work and social life were more important to the interviewees, and if they had enough
time to participate in a religious group, they would. Mostly, though, they had not given it much
thought, and they also knew very little about religious groups, which seems odd considering
there are over seventy religious organizations at the U of I.
Another trend we saw in our results was that a student’s personal contact with any kind
of religious group, positive or negative, greatly impacts their future participation in one. Students
who had not been exposed to religious organizations, like Student F, still actively attended
“mass every weekend and on holy days of obligation” but failed to see the significance or
interest in joining a religious organization (anonymous, personal communication, April 11, 2011).
Student E (anonymous, personal communication, April 5, 2011) is an example of a student who
has been informed and involved about a religious organization since she was a freshman at the
U of I. She learned about the program her senior year of high school when she visited the
campus. Student E believes that adjusting to life in college would have been harder if she didn’t
find her religious organization, and even paid tribute to one person from the organization for her
decision to stay at the U of I. This is an example of a positive interaction with a religious
organization that ultimately shaped this student’s college life.
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However, students who had a negative interaction with a religious organization felt that
they were being trapped into someone else’s beliefs. For the students who had not been in
contact with religious organizations (Students A, B, C, D), when asked what their feelings were
on public displays of religion, they all agreed that it did not bother them, until someone came up
to them and started to make it personal by pushing their beliefs on them. Therefore, we can see
that preaching beliefs at a distance is okay, but up close it can become a very touchy topic.
To avoid the touchy topics, most often people talked about religion with their friends and
outside of class. Only 46.1% of students in the survey said they talked about religion in class,
and an even fewer amounts talked about it with a professor, 26.3%. In regards to the classroom,
Student E found that discretion in the college classroom is necessary when talking about
religion. She commonly used “it depends” to describe when it is appropriate to talk about
religion in the classroom or with a professor (anonymous, personal communication, April 5,
2011). Student E found that the most important aspect of religious discourse in the classroom is
the freedom to be open about faith and to “not feel inferior or judged” if someone chooses to do
so (anonymous, personal communication, April 5, 2011).
An integrated part of our research was how students and professors perceive the
continuity between religious discussion and religious practice in the classroom. When asked
about classroom practice, 53.4% of students surveyed said that their professors or TAs never
talk about their religious beliefs There was a 0% response for the “frequently” column. When
asked if professors favored their own religion in the classroom, 75% of students surveyed
indicated “never”. There was also a 0% in the “frequently” category.
Professor A supported the popular view about discussing religion in the classroom that
the students had.. Professor A emphasized a “pluralistic approach” to teaching her classes in
order to accommodate her students’ ethnicities and religious practices (anonymous, personal
communication, April 8, 2011). She believed her main goal was to offer support to her students,
but she rarely encounters religion because the topics covered in her classes are gender roles
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and class hierarchy. In her opinion, because she teaches at a public university, “it’s best to
maintain a secular posture in the classroom” (anonymous, personal communication, April 8,
2011). This viewpoint by the professor definitely inculcates what Stoner (2006) believes to be
the reason for a more secular university. However, much like Frye, Professor A actively works to
incorporate her own views with that of her students in an open forum for discussion.
Because Professor A’s classes did not encounter religion often, Professor A was asked
how she approaches difficult topics in her classes that might be troubling to students who have
specific religious beliefs. Professor A “learned that it was best to make the goals of the class
and the material as transparent as possible from the beginning of the semester” in order to
prepare students for the course material (anonymous, personal communication, April 8, 2011).
Professor A also found that although most students self-selected her class, she still found it
necessary to explain to students her teaching style and the main goals of the course very
thoroughly. Because of this practice, Professor A has had little to no problems with students
expressing their views in the classroom. She also makes herself readily available for any
student who feels uncomfortable with the certain topics in her classroom.
When dealing with politically and socially controversial topics, Professor A found that
“students are extremely sensitive to one another and that if I explain the dynamics of a topic that
students respond favorably” (anonymous, personal communication, April 10, 2011). Professor A
agreed that it was necessary to create a classroom environment that was conducive to learning
by accommodating her students’ backgrounds into class discussion. Professor A mentioned that
she does tell her students her own ethnic background, but does not use that as a preaching tool.
Instead, she uses it to propel discussion, and has found that “students are eager to respond
positively to each other” and in talking about these issues it has brought many of her classes
closer together (anonymous, personal communication, April 10, 2011).
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Overall, our primary research helped bring all of our topics together. We found trends
that definitely helped answer our research questions and critically think about how students and
professors fell about religion on our university campus.
Discussion
Some of the trends we found, like the discrepancy between the numbers of religiously
affiliated students and those who are in religious organizations, brought upon other interesting
questions of our data.
Looking at how openly religious students are, it definitely shows that people practice a
faith, but choose not to participate in it on the college campus, even if they declare it in public
conversation. It looks like students keep religion mostly to small table discussion, and would
rather not discuss it with an authority figure like a professor. According to the survey, students
are fairly comfortable discussing their religion with others, including their classmates and friends,
but would feel uncomfortable discussing them with a professor. However, the interview with the
Professor revealed that her ultimate goal was to make students feel comfortable talking about
sensitive subjects such as religion in her classroom, making her seem more open to the
discussion that so many students tend to avoid in the class. Professor A inculcated the view that
most professors of public institutions probably have about religion in the classroom, but at the
same time it is refreshing to see a professor so concerned with her students’ opinions in the
classroom. Although she admitted to not discussing religion very often, she discusses many
controversial topics that need almost the same sensitivity that religion does. It is great that
Professor A does not shy away from these topics, and when her students make comments that
are not conducive to the learning environment, she deals with it head on and turns it into
learning moments. She does a great job of unconsciously incorporating Frye’s (2007) model,
and it pays off for her students. If more professors followed this model, perhaps that would
increase a more open forum for discussion.
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Analyzing the results of the survey, we wondered if the reason that the majority of
students do not affiliate with a religious organization because they either do not want to
participate in religious group, or they do not know they exist. We found that other factors, like
time commitment to other organizations or school work, affect a person’s participation in a
religious group. Student E is unique because she was exposed to her own religious organization
before she even came to the university. Student E obviously has a strong religious background,
and that influenced her to form friendships with people of the same faith once she got onto
campus. For Student E, being a part of the group was a permanent fixture in her schedule, and
easily integrated. Her positive interaction greatly impacted the likeliness that she would join. It
shows how early exposure is very beneficial to students because it causes them to set a time
aside for the group early on in college.
For the non-members, students A, B, C, and D were able to illustrate why they are not
involved in religious organizations. For the most part, we found that those who are nonmembers of religious groups misinterpret the missions of some of the people who are in
religious groups because many non-members are only familiar with the radical preaching seen
on the campus. Students A, B, C, and D did not know much about religious groups at
all. Although they were not extremely forward and blunt in their responses, it was apparent that
they formed opinions about those in religious groups based solely off of popular rumors and
quick interactions that they have had with groups making public displays on campus. Because
some the groups that are on campus come off so strong, it can turn a lot of potential members
away, especially when these people are approaching students on the campus and preaching
their religion. Most of the time, the radical preaching groups are not people who affiliate with the
U of I.Overall, it seems as though students A, B, C, and D did not have very much information
on religious groups because they have not made any effort to educate themselves about them.
They also explained that for a lot of students their yearning to be a part of a group stops short
because they are scared off by members who are too forward with them.
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Students on campus have a myriad of options with religious organizations, but many do
not take the opportunities they have in front of them. It would be likely that more positive
information about the religious groups on campus could increase membership and knowledge
by students at the University of Illinois. A good percentage of students taking the survey
admitted to being affiliated with a religion, but possibly not involved in a religious group on
campus. This is surprising due to the seventy organizations geared solely towards religion. Also,
if students knew about the positive correlation between religious involvement and GPA, that
information could increase interest because it would connect two seemingly unrelated aspects
of a college student’s life.
From both Professor A’s initial response, and the survey results about professors, there
is a definite correlation to religion and the discretion with which it is discussed.
Conclusion
Joining a religious organization on campus has become either a priority or mystery to
most students. In our literature review, we discussed that joining a religious organization, and
talking about religion in day to day life, classroom setting included, produces a positive result for
students. From our primary research, we discovered the discretion with which students discuss
religion in these settings, and also the negative connotation of some groups. Therefore, we are
making a couple of recommendations to better ensure a smoother integration of religion with
social and academic life at the university.
We recommend that students become more educated about religious organizations.
Because there are so many present on one campus, it would be a good idea to have them all
collaborate in some way to create a guide for students to reference. In addition, this
collaboration would be beneficial to cooperation between the different faiths and faith groups
that are present on this campus. Currently, an organization created by Illinois alumni, Eboo
Patel, was made so students could put religious differences aside to maintain a comfortable
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atmosphere to assist in community service, dialogue, and relationship-building. Interfaith was
started by a summit in Washington, D.C. as a core motion of the Better Together campaign.
This RSO (Registered Student Organization) organizes students who wish to come together in
fellowship. If this RSO were promoted better, we think there would be a better connection
between both the religious organizations, and the people involved in the different organizations.
With Interfaith, there is also the potential for more religious tolerance and interest in different
faiths.
Another suggestion we have relates to classroom practices. If professors took the time
to explain controversial issues, like Professor A, and really create an open forum for discussion,
we feel that the classroom would have better connectivity and collaboration on a wide range of
topics. Professors can readily use Frye’s methods to make their classrooms respectful forums
for any student to voice their own opinion.
If we were to further this research, we would like to expand the number of participants
and perspectives. It would be interesting on our own campus to use Schebmehl, Cubbellotti,
and Van Ornum’s (2009) observations to record the performance of some students who are in
religious organizations compared to those who are not, or to explore other samples of
discussion forums on our campus. Doing this research would either validate or invalidate some
of the conclusions that were found in our literature review. It would also provide a distinct focus
for our own university.
Overall, we found a general idea for the way students on the University of Illinois
campus feel about the possibility of incorporation religion into their daily lives, either through a
religious organization, or expressing their own views in the classroom. Hopefully some of the
recommendations made will be helpful in instituting policies that will make religious
organizations more popular, and to make students and professors alike feel more comfortable
discussing religion and other controversial issues in their classes. More positive interaction and
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knowledge about religious organizations is necessary to promote both respect for members,
non-members, and professors alike in both day to day interaction, and the classroom.