Rickman Library would like to invite Students, Faculty and Staff to get an early start on our upcoming Reflections @ Rickman discussion on the book The Unlikely Disciple. The discussion will take place here in the library on Tuesday, November 10 at 4PM. Copies of the book are available on 1-week reserve at the library.
“Liberty [University] is every bit as messy and diverse as any secular college, and lumping everyone on this campus into a single category seems irrational and simplistic.” (p.283)
Do you think this statement is true of SWU?
How would YOU categorize SWU students?
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Having spent my first semester of college at East Carolina University, I can identify with Kevin in The Unlikely Disciple. Though I didn't experience the partying and stuff firsthand, it pervaded the atmosphere of the university. The RA's would even give us tips on how to get away with keeping alcohol or marijuana in our rooms. All in all, a sharp contrast to SWU, as Brown is to Liberty. ECU is known for being a party school. Transitioning to SWU took some getting used to.
ReplyDeleteAs for the statement, I agree with the last part, but not the first. In my experiences with ECU and SWU, I can say with a high degree of certainty that SWU is not nearly as messy or diverse as my old college. I won't go into the mess factor, but diversity? SWU is hardly more diverse than the Farmville Country Club. The average SWU student is white, Protestant, and conservative--much like Liberty university, though not to such a religious or political extreme. We do have other ethnic, religious, and political groups on campus, but the ethnic minorities are underrepresented considering the state's demographic makeup. Nonchristians are not outspoken on campus for fear of persecution and discrimination. The same goes for students who are politically liberal. Liberalism seems to be regarded as evil and immoral by the vast majority of SWU students and faculty. I do hear political discussions between students from time to time, but these discussions usually revolve around discrediting liberal ideas and bashing liberal politicians and people. Sadly, this is reinforced and condoned by some of the faculty. There is diversity, but on a much smaller scale than a secular institution like Brown or ECU.
Of course, lumping everyone on this campus into a single category is irrational and simplistic. There is still a diversity of ideas and beliefs at SWU; there just isn't the broad range of ethnic, religious, and political diversity that you find out in "the real world." I'd say it's a fair bit better than the situation at Liberty at the time of Kevin Roose's writing, where there was a very specific set of beliefs pushed on the students through ultra-strict rules and universally required gen-ed classes. We're not an insect colony, thankfully.