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College students
vary
By
RACHEL SHEPHERD HARRISBURG, Pa - Among the challenges of classes, part-time jobs, extra-curricular activities and a social life, is there any room for spirituality in a college student’s life? Some say they have neither the time nor the interest, however others say without religion they would have no meaning in life. “Religion plays a pretty active role in my life,” said Chris Richelderfer, biology major at Mount St. Mary’s College in Maryland. “I used to be a lot more religious, though,” he said. “I think that since I turned 18, and wasn’t forced by my parents into going to church, I have become more skeptical about religion in general.” He explained that he believes in God, but he is not sure if he is a devout Catholic anymore. “I think it’s a stage everyone goes through in which they’re not quite sure what to believe.” According to the March 2003 Johns Hopkins Newsletter, making the transition from high school to college is difficult for many people. “Dealing with living in a new city, living in the dorms, taking college classes and meeting new friends sometimes puts church at a much lower priority,” wrote Peter Zou. Zou said students don’t want to put forth the effort to adjust to yet another drastically different aspect of their life, so they drop religion. Others such as Richelderfer said they only went to church at home because their parents made them. However, some students said that faith has played a crucial role in their life. “Without it, I would not be able to cope with the daily stressors of life including completing schoolwork, friends, family and finances,” said Jen Anderson, elementary education student at Penn State Harrisburg (PSH). “When everyone else was stressed, I turned everything over to God.” The Associated Press reported that incidents such as Anderson’s are commonplace as students are turning to religion to find meaning in their lives. Both secular and church-affiliated colleges report rising use of campus centers and increasing attendance in religious activities. “It makes your college experience complete,” said Jennifer Rogers, French major at the University of Maryland. “You have your studies, you have time to go out with your friends and you have God.” “Interest among students in the offerings of churches, mosques, synagogues, and temples may reflect the increasing complexity of society and the special challenges of modern students’ lives,” wrote Raju Chebium of the Associated Press. Student loan debt, family separations, and war times are just a few modern problems students face. Kim Morda, sociology student at Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC) said her family difficulties have led her to God. “Before recently, I simply went through the motions of church,” she said. “But after being sent to a retreat it brought on an entirely different meaning in my life.” However, not everyone has turned to God due to modern complexities. “My parents divorced when I was 10 and since that time, we stopped attending church regularly,” said Laura Baron, communications student at PSH. “Since then, I barely have attended church… except for funerals and an occasional holiday.” Baron said that although she doesn’t go to church frequently, she still has most of the beliefs she was brought up with. “I don’t think attending church is all that necessary.” However, some are hopeful that trend may change. “Students are hungry for religion because many of them were raised without it,” said Vincent Krische, a chaplain and director of Catholic Campus Ministry at the University of Kansas at Lawrence. “I think there has been a failure in passing on meaning and value,” he said. “When we fail to pass them on, something internally inspires people to search for them.” Morda, who is now a youth minister, said that God can find anyone. She said she tries to stay active with the church, despite having “fallen” a couple of times. But, she said, “God is always there to help me back up.” All stories in this magazine are the intellectual property of the individual
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