The role of Christianity in higher education institutions

By Petruce Jean-Charles | Published by April 25, 2019

At higher education institutions, research has been conducted to better understand how practicing Christianity can affect college students.

Kean University has a variety of religious organizations, especially within the Christian population on campus.

Christian organizations such as: Office of Campus Ministry, Catholic Newman Club, Coptic Orthodox Christian Fellowship, Cru at Kean University, Impact Apostolate Club, Intervarsity Christian Fellowship and Kean Gospel Choir were created to provide a space for students to practice their faith.

Taking into consideration students practicing their faith, Office of Campus Ministry and Catholic Newman Club are providing meatless lunches for Lent. Under the name “Lenten Lunches,” students will be served meatless lunches March 22, March 29, April 5 and April 12 in celebration of Lent.

At the beginning of Lent, people signal the start of their faith through spreading of the ashes. Lent is the six week period leading up to Easter; every year starting on Ash Wednesday and ending before Easter Sunday.

Lent is an important time for Christians, especially Anglican, Catholic or Orthodox individuals to observe and prepare for the celebration of Easter. During the six weeks, people fast, give up or abstain from distractions in honor of their faith.

In 1983, Gary E. Madsen and Glenn M. Vernon conducted a study sampling college students from the University of Utah to research their experience with their religion. Madsen, a professor at Utah State University and Vernon, a professor at the University of Utah suggested the importance of peer support when joining a religious group.

“Campus religious group participation was found to be an important variable related to stability and change,” Madsen wrote.

In a 2014 study, the Pew Research Center found 21 percent of participants

were Evangelical Protestant, 17 percent Mainline Protestant, 4 percent Historically Black Protestant, 20 percent Catholic, 2 percent Mormon, 1 percent Orthodox Christian, less than 1 percent Jehovah’s Witness and less than 1 percent other Christian.

According to the Pew Research Center, 75 percent of students that completed college believed their faith with absolute certainty and 65 percent believed the importance of Christianity in college.

The Pew Research Center also found that 51 percent of college students pray once a day but 61 percent seldom participate in prayer, scripture study or religious education groups.

Anne Klaeysen, writer for affordable colleges online, noted that research suggests that college students are more likely to struggle with keeping their faith than any other demographic.

In her article, “On-Campus Organizations And Resources For Religious And Spiritual Students,” Klaeysen wrote about challenges some students faced.

“One of the biggest challenges for Christian students can be finding a community as robust as the one they left behind,” Klaeysen wrote. “Joining a local church allows students to be part of weekly bible studies, find a spiritual mentor, and meet other college-aged students who are serious about their faith.”

Catholic Campus Minister, Mariama Roldan spoke of the importance of campus ministry and the outcomes of students participating at Kean.

“It is of great importance for the Kean community to have religious groups available to…serve the spiritual needs of the students on campus that seek out these organizations,” Roldan said. “Through our faith-based programming…students gain an understanding of the Christian faith, of their own relationship with God and of ways to relating to others about faith.”

Despite change being necessary in all facets, Roldan believes Kean has made campus ministry a welcomed part of the community.

In addition, Roldan noted the larger ratio of commuters to residential students and the challenges faced to accommodate but of them.

“The commuter population at Kean University is larger than the residential population, however, both groups have a desire to participate in our events,” Roldan said.

In terms of Lenten Lunches, Roldan thought it would be a creative way to engage students during the holiday season.

“On Fridays during Lent, Catholics are asked to abstain from meat so the Lenten Lunches are a meatless option for anyone to enjoy, while having a speaker encourages students to reflect upon spiritual themes while enjoying good lunch,” Roldan said.

Jennifer Garza, president of the Catholic Newman Club agrees that school loads can be hard to balance while attending church, but advocates for student involvement on campus.

“In my opinion, the school load can become heavy and attending religious events or even praying can become difficult, but it is all about learning to manage your time and doing things ahead of time,” Garza said.

The Catholic Newman Clubs aids the students because we offer bible study on Wednesday, Mass on campus on Tuesdays and Sundays.

“We also have a Chaplain that comes to most of our events as well,” Garza said.

They also offer many opportunities to learn about the Christian faith and are welcoming to all students, in hopes to provide support during school.

“The challenges I have faced are learning to get my priorities straights and managing my time better with my school work,” Garza said. “I think it depends on what students prioritize because anyone can get distracted or procrastinate, but it depends on what they choose to do.”

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