A Time to Explore

Higher education is a place and the time for students to explore. This is a critical time in the molding of beliefs for students who may be wavering. This is also a critical time for students who may have felt oppressed by the religion they have been brought up to believe. So what is the role of higher education in shaping their student's religion? This is a particularly tough question for state institutions. With that, my response is complicated. Provided that public institutions allow for every religion to have an opportunity available for all students who wish, it is a great place to help foster religion and spirituality. Peter Laurence's article Can Religion and Spirituality Find a Place in Higher Education makes a valid point that "when religion in all of its expressions is actively engages, the threat of control by one religion evaporates, and religion can once more become a viable element in campus culture." That being said, the students should be responsible for forging forward with the organizations, asking for the funding, and requesting for faculty advisors. It is the students who must take the initiative to make this possible and the institution to provide the support. The overarching goal should not be to produce religiously minded scholars, but it should be to know that the institution is doing everything possible to yield students who are open-minded to learning, have a solid understanding of other religions, and who are tolerant.

Laurence also mentions in the article that religiously affiliated institutions would probably have a much more difficult time accepting other religions to be recognized on their campuses. This is not to say that they cannot be tolerant of the students who do not practice their beliefs, but what opportunities does the school have really have to offer? If it is a Catholic school and a critical mass of students who are Muslim enroll, should the institution begin to provide prayer rooms? Should the institution begin to serve Halal meat? Would the institution provide religious studies courses that are from an Islamic perspective rather than Catholic? I am not sure if there is a correct answer to this, or if the institution has an obligation to do so.

Spirituality is an even tougher answer; and it is mainly because there is no one definition of  that can apply to everyone. Laurence points out the main problems academics often see with spirituality; the subjective nature, and the "lack of a common definition."  Because of this, I think fostering spirituality on a college campus could be challenging, but not impossible. I think it is especially important for it to be understood that students may very well identify as spiritual and not religious. There are times when students may have a spiritual connection in a course that would may not traditionally be thought of as eliciting that type of emotion. Laurence describes an experiment at Wellesley College where the dean asked students to discuss a time when they had moments of "inspiration, connection, wonder, and awe" in the classroom and then relayed this to the faculty. The dean stated the faculty were then able to see the connection between spirituality and scholarship.

Courses are not the only way for institutions to assist in spirituality on campus. Offering yoga, meditation, open mic nights, painting, well-being, holistic and/or homeopathic living seminars, in addition to providing a safe space where students and faculty can have an open dialogue on spirituality an, would all help pave the avenue for spirituality awakening on campus. The challenge could be, however, that just because a student has one spiritual moment in one time, does not mean that it will continue.

President Obama has taken notice that higher education is a place for religion and spirituality to take shape. Just two weeks ago, the president even proposed the Interfaith and Community Service Campus Challenge. "For over two hundred years, Americans of all faiths have come together, put their shoulders to the wheel of history, and made this country what it is today. And I know that as we go forward, it’s going to take all of us – Christian and Jew, Hindu and Muslim, believer and non-believer – to meet the challenges of the 21st century."--President Obama. This challenge is to bring students of different religious and nonreligious backgrounds together for a common good while creating "positive meaningful encounters," (Patel and Meyer, 2011).

President Obama's Interfaith and Community Service Campus Challenge is poignant because as Laurence points out that while education has become secular and there has been an overall acceptance of religious diversity, religion itself has been denied. Acknowledging and allowing a presence as well as providing opportunities is exactly where public institutions should draw the line. The purpose of higher education is to supply students with the tools needed to survive, not to make any religious decisions or submit any type of religious or spiritual propaganda on them.

Stand Up! for Abdi

This week's readings could not have coincided better with what has been happening on Mason's campus. I will spare reciting the entire account and get to the meat of it. A Mason student, Abdi, was arrest for abduction after an incident over a study room. The case has stirred a lot of attention because it appears the campus police were discriminating against the Abdi because of his race. While the charges of abduction have been dropped, Mason students rallied around Abdi, and went on a quest of justice. Facebook pages, Fairfax Underground articles, Washingtopost coverage, this story received a lot of attention. The whole situation sickened me. And unfortunately, this is not the first time Mason police have been accused of discrimination. I hope the administration realizes there is a broken link and work harder to ensure that all facets of our community are on the same page.

Toby Jenkin's article Patriotism: A Love Story kept bringing me back to my cluster's reading from Citizen's of the Empire: The Struggle to Claim Our Humanity by Robert Jensen. I have realized that my whole life, my upbringing especially, that I was taught to not question, to not be critical;  it was a sign of disrepect. No matter how much I disagreed with something I often kept my mouth shut--like Toby suggests, I was "groomed to play a very docile, silent, and inactive role." That's what I was taught to do. As I got older I started really realizing that it was hard to keep my mouth shut. But it wasn't until really delving into these readings that it wasn't enough to just open my mouth and speak up. You have to actively try to make things better. That's why I am so proud of Mason's students for standing up for Abdi. They got involved and made it known that discrimination will not be tolerated and will not go unnoticed. "Making an entity better...is not achieved through rhetoric that makes us feel good, but rather through action and calls to action that inspire us to do good," (Jenkins).

If I had read Harper and Huarto's The Nine Themes of Racial Climate article several years ago, I may have been shocked to see the themes that resonated with the five campuses in the study. Being on the academic side rather than admissions, and being in this program has really opened my eyes. My freshman year I lived in a quint (yes, five girls in one room). Four of us are white and one was black. The five us got along surprisingly well for being as cramped as we were. But every so often, our black roommate would tell us she needed some "black time". At first we were all offended, but then we realized that it wasn't anything against us. She just really wanted to be a part of that community in addition to us. But Harper and Huarto touched on something that I think is probably true at most institutions and that is that there is quite a bit of segregation. You see it at Mason, I saw it at UCI and at AU. There are certain quadrants of the JC that are claimed. And race being a four-letter word has never been more true. I cant remember a time when a class other than this one engaged in a meaningful dialogue on race. Mason has the Sojourner Truth Lecture Series, but what else is taking place to get our campus community to open their eyes? One student was quoted in the article as saying he had never interacted with anyone outside of his own race, and didn't know how. He felt the university had failed because they were not giving him the guidance to do so. University administrators need to be cognizant that while many are already coming from diverse areas, those who are not are coming because they want to experience this, so make it happen. Create forums, have student panels, engage the students to be part of a shift on the campus. This will help to eliminate the microagressions that Harper and Huarto said students reported.

Rhoades quotes Takaki's response about multiculturalism becoming the Balkanization of America by stating "responding to our diversity as an opportunity to open American minds" in his article Student protest and multicultural reform: Making sense of campus unrest in the 1990s. When talking about the student protests at Mills College, one administrator was quoting as saying that because the students got their way, they feel they can do it again and again. This goes back to Toby Jenkin's point that protesting, speaking out, criticizing, is a way of showing that the students are truly patriots of their university. In the case of Mills College, the women (current students and alumna's)  felt so strongly about men being admitted and their campus climate being changed that they were able to effectively shut down the campus for two weeks.

Protesting, if non-violent and non-destructive, can be a powerful thing. In class a few weeks ago Professor Jenkins made a profound statement that was something to effective of: Sometimes silence can be more powerful...We haven't heard much from Abdi, other than he was elated the charges were dropped. He hasn't been out publicly defaming the girl who accused him, he hasn't been calling in the masses, he has been silent, and as such, the students have really rallied around him showing their utmost support.

And in other news---GO MASON!

Can you be hopeful yet critical?

Quotes from Robert Jensen, author of Citizens of the empire: The struggle to claim our humanity.

We Know It Matters, Let's Make it Happen

Maybe I'm assuming too much, but I would hope that administrators and student services professionals would have a fundamental knowledge of how much diversity matters (at least at a school where I would ever consider working!). In the conclusion of chapter 14, Racial Diversity Matters, the authors say their findings support previous work that suggest colleges will have more of an impact if they are clear in their goals of diversity and are able to prove they working towards it with policies, practices, ideals and communication (pg. 247). That is all well and good, but how...I think the main focus really needs to be on what we, as administrators and student services professionals can do to continuously facilitate and support programming driven towards achieving diversity.  But after having presented on Grutter v. Bollinger (the infamous affirmative action case) in my Higher Ed Law class, and now the sections Discourse of Action, and Discourse on Democracy (chapter 32) I am finding that I am having an ongoing dialogue within myself... I have never equated affirmative action with a reduction of standards, as was suggested in the reading, but more of an added bonus. Allowing students who were historically excluded to have a leg-up, per se.

Chapter 15 addresses how institutions can begin to address change at a structural level (this is also something we discussed in Dr. Lester's Organizational Administration course in fall 2009). Is is not just about admitting students, but its about faculty and staff as well....There needs to be more minorities in high level administration and faculty positions. This is all done in conjunction with making sure the campus environment is one where minorities feel welcome? Are there programs in place to make sure everyone feels they have an opportunity? While sometimes unpopular, the suggestion of group interactions (and having the faculty pick the groups) is one that I feel can really help to open barriers. I also am a fan of requiring some sort of cultural activity to be a part of the curriculum. Whether it be to go to a museum, attend a festival, or listen to a symposium, those added requirements will have an impact and open dialogue in the classroom.

Again, we all know it matters, so let's make it happen.

Disenfranchised

Numbers can really slap someone across the face. After reading Toby Jenkin's Mr. Nigger: The Challenges of Educating Black Males Within American Society, I was depressed by the statistics of the drop out rates of high school and college aged Black males in America. I was depressed by the fact that Black male youth have a 50% higher chance of dying by the mere age of 20. And while I know that America has over 300 years of higher education history, seeing in print that it was illegal for Blacks of any age to be taught to read was less than 150 yeah ago really got my attention. I guess it is naive to say, but I never truly realized the dichotomy between the "White world" and the "Black World" until reading this week's assignments. Everything from the past, the family dynamics, the societal pressures, as well as societal trends--the hip hop culture, and the educational space has an impact on the Black male youth of today. As Jenkins points out, its imperative that society as a whole do something to change not only our education system, but also helping to shape a new cultural environment while creating a space where youth feel safe.

Along the same lines, bell hooks writes about the lasting affects of shaming in her article Moving Beyond Shame. Self-esteem is not only needed to be fostered in home through positive encouragement, but the student must continue to receive encouragement in their educational setting as well. When the feeling of shame attacks the person's emotions, hooks writes that it can be forever associated with upbringing, with an experience with a teacher, or even with a colleague. The cycle of shame must be broken in order for our students to feel equal in the classroom, and the first step is for an overhaul of our mass media. Our news systems and cable networks need to critically evaluate what is being aired and the message that is being portrayed. Anthony Keith pointed out in his article about CNN's special reports on "Black in America". This portrayal of African American's as a subset of humans is perpetuating the problem.

Anthony Keith's Reframing Male Homosexuality as Critical Spaces to Explore Black Masculinity raised a lot of excellent points but also evoked me to call attention to some of what was suggested as being socially accepted patterns of Black masculinity, I believe to be true of most American males.Even my closest guy friends would gripe about sharing a tent with another guy, and most certainly would not sleep in the same hotel bed. Not because they are homophobic, because they have gay friends, but really because they do not feel comfortable with that level of physical closeness.

While each culture in society has something to add, I would venture to guess that Americans are typically more individualist than Tanzania. So the half-hugs, half-hand shakes and maintaining a spatial territory, I would say is probably true of most Americans. Afterall, I did give two college students the stink today because they were standing entirely too close to me in the Taco Bell line.

I hope our society is able to move forward and help all students, regardless of color, religion, or gender. With a President who himself is the epitome of diversity, I would like to hope that we are further along than maybe our society really is.