College Transition Initiative

FACEBOOK!

2008-03-20T10:15:00.003-04:00

Okay, I'm turning it up a notch...

Please join the College Transition Initiative group on Facebook.

It is a much easier way to post information about CTI and to dialogue with others about this issue.

Sorry to all my blogger friends... but my blogging days appear to be over!

College Doesn't Turn Kids Secular?

2007-12-18T10:44:00.000-05:00

The following response is from Tim Gebhart, Assistant Director of Wilderness Ministry at Ohio Wesleyan University. Before coming to Ohio Wesleyan, Mr. Gebhart reached out to students at Slippery Rock University.

Tim Gebhart writes:

The message that “College doesn’t turn kids secular” caused me to look at things from a different perspective than I usually do. In the CCO we often focus on Steve Garber’s The Fabric of Faithfulness, that Barna Group survey, and other sources that tell us, correctly, how habits formed in college are likely to remain for life.

What about habits formed during high school? In an interview, Mark Regnerus makes the claim that “most of the seeds for ‘secularization’ are planted well before college, but it’s only during college that the diminished participation in organized religion emerges and becomes evident.” A major cause of this “secularization” is the shoddy faith foundations of many teens (and their parents).

I have seen numerous examples that support Regnerus’ statement: High school students I have known whose parents forced them to go to church, and who kept them from alcohol and the whole party scene that comes with it but never gave reasons for these rules. The kids graduated from high school and went off to college. While at college they never went to church. In fact, most Sunday mornings they were still drunk from the night before. There was no sudden change in beliefs. These students did not get secularized by the atmosphere in their college town. While in high school (if not before) they decided that they didn’t want to have anything to do with church, and that alcohol and partying looked like a lot of fun. The college experience didn’t change their minds, but it did give them opportunities to do these things.

While college students do form long-lasting lifestyle patterns, they do not come to college as empty vessels or unshaped masses. College is a time when patterns are set in stone, but many of these patterns have been established long before. Looked at in this light, our role as campus ministers is to guide students to see the positive and negative patterns in their own lives, to reinforce the positive, and to alter the negative.

Too often, as Christian Smith says in his interview, students “can’t explain . . . what’s behind their thinking.” These students don’t know how to practice deep soul-searching or self examination. Their worldviews are made up of assumptions that they don’t even realize they are assuming. This is one place that we as campus ministers need to step in to guide these students in rediscovering the teachings of Jesus.

Many students have no solid answers to questions such as ‘Why aren’t you drinking?’ or ‘Why do you go to church?’ When confronted with these questions, students are either going to give in to their friends, the askers of the above questions, or they are going to examine the beliefs they’ve inherited from their parents, and make them truly their own. As Garber and the Barna Group assure us, whichever way students go, they are likely to continue in that direction for their whole lives. As campus ministers, we need to spend time with these students to teach them incarnationally that the gospel of Christ is true and meaningful in their lives. We need to live our lives as examples to our students, realizing that we aren’t perfect, but still we can demonstrate a consistent, faithful lifestyle based on the gospel. Also it’s our role to ask students hard questions in a safe context, a place where they can say “I don’t know,” and we can help them to discover solid answers that will hold up in the classroom and at the frat party – or in the dorm as they are deciding whether to go to the frat party.

Students often come to college with thoroughly unexamined beliefs. After they graduate, they will be much less likely to change their beliefs. This makes the college years a crucial time to correct and fine tune beliefs and lifestyle choices.

Campus Ministers Respond to Research on Today's College Students

2007-12-12T10:35:00.000-05:00

The first response to the assignment comes from Patrick Emery. Mr. Emery works for Geneva College's Pisgah Program, an adventure-based ministry that seeks to serve both the community and college students.

What I Learned and Why It Matters

Point #1: Most teens cannot articulate their faith and how it intersects with the rest of their lives.

No wonder teenagers are leaving the faith at an alarming rate. If we fail to teach them how to do this, why on earth should they continue to follow Christ of their own volition? Over and over in the Old Testament Law, God commands the Israelites to raise their kids in the fear of the Lord. The heart of the book of Proverbs is this very point: to learn wisdom and help train children to integrate faith into every part of life.

We have to start teaching our students how to connect their faith into every aspect of life, not only because faith has to work in order to keep believing, but mainly because integration of faith and life is crucial to what Christianity actually is.

Point #2: The majority of American teens hold to “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism”.

I whole-heartedly agree with this assessment. This is being both taught and modeled in our churches all over America, whether it’s on purpose or not. When I graduated from high school, nearly everyone in my circle of influence (which was nearly all professing-Christian) told me they just wanted me to be happy and/or go to college so that I could get a good job (a.k.a. make lots of money). This mind-set is found nowhere in Scripture. What we find there is the exact opposite. Christ calls us to follow Him and take up the cross daily, and according to Him, difficulty is inherent in the cross.

This matters because we as campus ministers have the power to help change this thinking. The students we minister to every day will very soon be the body of the Church. Changing the way they think will in turn allow us to impact the churches that they begin attending after they graduate.

Point #3: Teens reflect the world more than they rebel against it.

I was a bit surprised by this point, though it certainly makes sense. After hearing so many people say that teens are rebellious, you sort of just start accepting it without checking to see if it’s actually true or not.

We need to change our assumptions about who teens are and where they are coming from. If we believe they are rebellious as opposed to reflective, that will have a big impact on the way we interact with and minister to them.

What I will do differently

First, I need to realize that college freshmen are coming from a different place than I came from. Teen culture has changed quite a bit in 10 years. I also need to do my part in learning more about what they believe and how that impacts their worldview. Second, I need to meet them where they’re at. They can’t change until their wrong thinking is exposed. Finally, I need to embrace my calling as a campus minister and rise up to the challenge of being God’s mouthpiece. I want to be open and available for God to use me to draw them to true faith in Christ.

College Students in America: Campus Ministers Respond to NEW Research

2007-12-05T14:25:00.000-05:00

I am currently teaching a year long learning module called “Working with First Year Students” for campus ministers and youth workers who work for the CCO. We are “painting a portrait” of college students in America to determine how we can best minister to them. The first assignment was to read a collection of articles and write a brief response. Here are the articles:

Why College Doesn’t Turn Kids Secular (an interview with Mark D. Regnerus based on his research How Corrosive Is College to Religious Faith and Practice?)

What American Teenagers Believe (an interview with Christian Smith based on his book Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers)

Young Adults Aren’t Sticking with Church (a USAToday report on LifeWay Research)

For the next several posts, I am going to be posting some of the reflections from the learning module. Many of the participants are working with college students on a regular basis. Their reflections should help us to (1) determine how accurate these studies have been and (2) think more deeply about developing better youth/campus ministry practices that will connect with today’s young college students.

SPREAD THE WORD:

If you know of youth workers or campus ministers who might be interested in learning what others have to say about the state of today’s college students, please let them know that they can subscribe to this blog on the left (Keep it Fresh).

Fuller Research: College Transition Project

2007-11-20T16:36:00.000-05:00

The Center for Youth & Family Ministry (CYFM) at Fuller Theological Seminary is trying to better understand the characteristics of youth groups that are associated with a healthy transition to college life and help youth workers develop those qualities in their youth groups. Currently, CYFM is engaged in two 3-year longitudinal studies with over 350 students from around the U.S. with the goals of understanding the dynamics involved in the transition to college life and discovering what components of students' youth group experiences helped them make that transition. Eventually, this research will be translated into resources that youth ministries can use to help students and families better navigate the transition to college. Periodically, CYFM reports on their research and offers reflections on some of the implications for youth workers. The latest article is very helpful. You Make the Call: What College Freshmen Need to Hear from their Youth Pastors, explains how making a simple phone call to college students can go a long way. The article also reports on some of the other findings from the study. This article is well worth the read and will hopefully make the rounds in youth ministry circles. In my humble opinion, CYFM's College Transition Project is the most important study being conducted on transitional issues. I can't wait to see the end result of this study in the next three years!

Death by Blog Boredom

2007-11-08T09:53:00.000-05:00

I have been tagged by my good friend Bob Robinson on his blog Vanguard Church. He had been tagged by people who are trying to discover "five little-known treasures of the blogosphere in order to put to death our blog boredom." It was a nice surprise to be recognized on Mr. Robinson's blog. Thank you, thank you.

Now I am supposed to list five more "little-known treasures." Here's my problem: I don't really know what blogs are "little known." So, I will simply list the five blogs I read most often.

Hearts & Minds Booknotes
Walt Mueller's Blog (I think I would be fired if I didn't mention this one.)
Gideon Strauss
GroshLink
Vanguard Church (does that count?)

What Does God Want for Our Kids?

2007-10-22T09:37:00.000-04:00

This past weekend, the Intelligencer Journal, a Lancaster paper, featured an article about the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding. Written by Elizabeth Eisenstadt-Evan, the article describes the work of CPYU and why, as a mother, she appreciates the ministry.

You can read the article here.

College Video

2007-10-18T14:55:00.001-04:00

Video connected to new website that seeks to help students get connected to campus ministries before heading to college.

A Vision of Students Today

2007-10-15T14:41:00.001-04:00

Inside Higher Education

2007-10-09T15:21:00.000-04:00

Many of the readers of this blog work in higher education or care about it for one reason or another. I was just told about this site and thought it would interest you. Check out: insidehighered.com

"Inside Higher Ed was founded in 2004 by three executives with decades of expertise in higher education journalism and recruitment. We believed that higher education was evolving quickly and radically, and that the time was right for new models of providing information and career services for professionals in academe."

And here is an article that should interest you, regardless of your current employment or level of concern for higher education:

Apple, Target, Facebook Tops for College Students: Annual Survey Shows Social-Networking Split Between Sexes

Keeping the Faith: Roundtable Discussion

2007-10-02T09:59:00.000-04:00

YouthWorker Journal has a new-look website. It seems to be updated pretty regularly. I recently noticed that you can read the interview I did about transitional issues. The interview included Steven Garber, Alec Hill and Kelly Monroe Kullberg. Here's the central question:

Do youth ministry programs prepare young people for life after high school? We asked three college ministry experts to share how they see teenagers spiritually, theologically and intellectually prepared for college and beyond.

You can read the interview here.

A printable version is available here.

Choosing a Major

2007-09-24T10:48:00.000-04:00

Comment, a magazine of the Canada based Work Research Foundation, has started a new series on "Great Work." They asked me to write an article about how to choose a major and they published it on their website on Friday. From the abstract:

Choosing a major in college or university can be a paralyzing exercise of too many choices. But Christian students, as today's Comment author points out, really can envision college, and this choice, differently. Through prayer and conversation, remain open to God's call and leading—because picking a major may be one of the first times you truly put your faith in action.

Read the article Finding Our Way to Great Work: Choosing a Major... and a Vocation here.

College Students Don't Get Enough Sleep

2007-09-17T13:08:00.001-04:00

USA Today reports on new studies that reveal that college students don't sleep enough:

"Colleges are starting to wake up to how sleep deprivation cuts into the academic and athletic performance of their students. All-nighters have become a habit in higher education, but a handful of small new studies help document the consequences."

The study also shows what Duke, UCLA, Rice and Maryland are doing to help students develop better sleeping habits. Read the article, College students' performance suffers from lack of sleep here.

John Piper on the Importance of Teaching Doctrine to Teenagers

2007-09-07T09:26:00.000-04:00

In my last post, I mentioned new research by Mark Regnerus that seems to indicate that college doesn't really change students. I've had some good conversations with friends about the article and interview below. I hope it is sparking conversations for you as well.

A good friend of mine passed along a recent post by John Piper. Piper offers a helpful reminder and challenge when faced with "new research." In this particular piece, Piper refers to another study by Regnerus. In Good Doctrine Makes Better (Teenage) Saints, Piper compares Regnerus and Ron Sider:

"Here it is again. More evidence from surveys what the Bible makes so plain: superficial, non-doctrinal, non-serious Christians sin pretty much like the world; but more serious, more doctrinally oriented Christians lead lives that are morally distinct. Two years ago Ron Sider flagged this in his book The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience: Why Are Christians Living Just Like the Rest of the World?

Now a new book by Mark Regnerus called Forbidden Fruit: Sex and Religion in the Lives of American Teenagers gives the same bleak picture of so-called 'evangelical teenagers' who sleep around as much as unbelievers. But again the book points out that 'the 16% of American teenagers who say that their faith is ‘extremely important to their lives’ are living chastely' (Gene Veith, “Sex and the Evangelical Teen,” World, August 11, 2007, p. 9)."

Piper's conclusion:

"Yes. Pray for sure. And work our heinies off teaching and preaching and modeling the Truth. And resist an entertainment model for youth ministry. And cultivate a joyfully blood-earnest atmosphere for worship. And call for our youth and our retirees to go risk their lives somewhere for the risen King Jesus. This is where serious truth-driven ministry takes us."

Three questions: (1) Is that how you spell "heinies"? (2) Do you think Piper is on to something? (3) Do you have any good examples of solid, "serious truth-driven ministries"?

Does College Turn Kids Secular?

2007-08-28T10:41:00.000-04:00

The main focus of this blog is to bring to your attention research and trends in regards to college transition. I occasionally offer commentary if I find it appropriate, but I'm more concerned that people are connected to helpful information. I once read that there are two types of blogs: thinking and linking. This would definitely be the latter. My goal is to link you with good things to read and cut down on your navigation time. I find that the blogs I read the most often are ones the point me in the direction of helpful resources.

I do offer extending commentary on transitional issues, however. Quarterly for CPYU's Engage Journal, and occasionally I'm asked to write for other publications. I'm telling you this, because where I'm going to point you next does require further commentary, and I hope to write something about it soon.

Sociologists Mark Regnerus and Jeremy Uecker have written an intriguing article basically saying that college does not turn kids secular (READ IT HERE). You can read a short interview with Mark Regnerus at Christianity Today here.

Their main point is that the trajectory of students' lives are "set" long before college, and nothing really happens in college to change fundamental beliefs. Today, college is about getting a degree to get a job and rarely are students asked to wrestle deeply with ideas that change a person's worldview.

This is interesting, of course, because it is the exact opposite conclusion that LifeWay Research released last week. How can this be? Feel free to offer your thoughts.

I think I'm going to read some more and, perhaps, an article will come out of it!

Students Head Back to Campus... and Spend Lots of Money

2007-08-21T09:56:00.000-04:00

What happens when the current class of college students represents $198 billion in consumer spending power and significantly increases discretionary spending to $48 billion annually? They get surveyed by marketing experts!

Harris Interactive, the 13th largest and fastest-growing market research firm in the world teamed up with Alloy Media + Marketing, one of the country’s largest providers of nontraditional media programs reaching targeted consumer segments, to survey the class of 2011. From the press release:

“The largest college class in history (students ages 18-30) has evolved in three key areas: communication modality, purchase behavior, and concern over world issues. First and most operative distinction, technology has taken students out of the dorm room and morphed communication into mobile rapid fire exchanges fraught with ‘pokes’ and alerts. Four short years ago, being ‘wired’ referred to an over-caffeinated all-nighter, and friends met up on the quad without the option of today’s ‘online’ student union. ‘Friending’ your professor may not seem the proper student-teacher etiquette to the old brigade but for today’s class, it’s the most efficient way to get the grade.

‘The distinct comparisons we’ve seen from the 2003 study will have considerable impact on how groups eager to attract the attention of this ever-growing and powerful consumer group should be reaching them,’ stated Dana Markow, VP Research, Harris Interactive. ‘Perpetual advancements in technology have had notable impact on students’ daily conduct and as we head into an election year, we’re seeing a class that’s assuming more control over their future.’

Read the entire press release here.

Why College Students Have Sex

2007-08-16T10:35:00.000-04:00

CNN reports:

"After exhaustively compiling a list of the 237 reasons why people have sex, researchers found that young men and women get intimate for mostly the same motivations.

It's more about lust in the body than a love connection in the heart.

College-aged men and women agree on their top reasons for having sex -- they were attracted to the person, they wanted to experience physical pleasure and 'it feels good,' according to a peer-reviewed study in the August edition of Archives of Sexual Behavior."

Women's Top Ten
1. I was attracted to the person
2. I wanted to experience physical pleasure
3. It feels good
4. I wanted to show my affection to the person
5. I wanted to express my love for the person
6. I was sexually aroused and wanted the release
7. I was "horny"
8. It's fun
9. I realized I was in love
10. I was "in the heat of the moment"

Men's Top Ten
1. I was attracted to the person
2. It feels good
3. I wanted to experience physical pleasure
4. It's fun
5. I wanted to show my affection to the person
6. I was sexually aroused and wanted the release
7. I was "horny"
8. I wanted to express my love for the person
9. I wanted to achieve an orgasm
10. I wanted to please my partner

You can watch a video about the report here.

LifeWay Researches Church Drop Outs

2007-08-10T10:13:00.000-04:00

I was in Canada on Tuesday morning and stumbled across an interesting article in The Globe about Denver Broncos’ kicker Jason Elam. The article, Elam brushes up on religious studies, explains why the 37-year-old NFL star is pursuing a master of divinity degree. Elam said that it all started in college: “I was just this Atlanta, Southern, country guy and went off to college and I had friends from all over the world and with that diversity came a big diversity in faith. And I had never met a Mormon or a Jehovah's Witness or a Muslim or an atheist or a Baha'i. I had never met those people before.”

Surrounded by the diversity, Elam began to think more thoroughly about why he believed the things he believed. College, for Elam, was about settling in on deepest convictions, dealing honestly with his own doubts and coming out the other side stronger in his Christian faith. He continues to grow and learn, with an “off-season” schedule of mission’s trips and graduate classes, even taking courses at Oxford.

But Elam’s story is not like many teenage Christians who head off to college. For reasons given in LifeWay’s new research, a large percentage of students drop out of church after high school. From the website:

“A new study from LifeWay Research reveals that more than two-thirds of young adults who attend a Protestant church for at least a year in high school will stop attending church regularly for at least a year between the ages of 18 and 22.

As young people transition from high school into the workforce or college life, they are faced with many choices – including whether to continue attending church. Although this decision is a source of concern for parents and church leaders, discussion of the reasons young adults choose the direction they do has largely been speculative.

‘Lots of alarming numbers have been tossed around regarding church dropouts,’ said Ed Stetzer, director of LifeWay Research, the research arm of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. ‘We wanted to get at the real situation with clear research – and there is some bad news here, no question. But, there are also some important solutions to be found in the research. When we know why people drop out, we can address how to help better connect them.’"

You can learn more about the research here.

USAToday provides a nice summary of the findings here.

On a similar note, John Seel has written a very important article which gets at the heart of this issue. Seel contends that most students don’t attend church because they don’t understand why church attendance is vital to life and faith. You can read his insightful Making the most of college: Recovering the Lost Logic of Church here.

Need Help Finding a College?

2007-07-25T12:10:00.000-04:00

CampusExlporer.com "is dedicated to helping students, parents and counselors find the information and support needed while researching and applying to post secondary schools. Choosing the right school is an important life decision and CampusExplorer.com is here to offer guidance throughout this decision making process by providing free, easy-to-use tools, expert advice and objective information. Consider us your personal college and career counselors available 24/7, to help match you with the right program at the right school, organize and track your applications and determine your ideal tuition options."

You can search for colleges by major, location and degree. It's easy and quite interesting. When you do get a list of schools based on your search, one of the first details to pop up is tuition. It was fun just to see how much schools cost! Well, "fun" might not be the right word!

Affirming Doubt

2007-07-19T09:41:00.000-04:00

For the Spring edition of CPYU's Engage, I wrote an article entitled "Affirming Doubt: Helping Students Ask and Answer Tough Questions." Drawing from my own experience of doubt during my time in Thailand shortly after the Tsunami, I explained that asking tough questions and being honest about our doubts about God and faith can be a needed, but painful aspect of discipleship.

I thought the article needed to be written because of students I have known over the years that have struggled with doubt. Many of the students were told that there was no room for doubt in the Christian faith. In the article I record "gripes" I often hear from students:

“In youth group, I wasn’t supposed to ask questions, but to have faith.”

“No one ever told me there were so many intellectual challenges to the Christian faith.”

“If I have doubts, I must not have faith, so I can do whatever I want.”

I then offer three responses for parents and youthworkers:

"Model a life of life-long learning."

"Create a safe space for students to ask questions and articulate their faith in their own words."

"Be patient with students who are wrestling with faith, affirm them in the struggle, but get them to see what good and honest doubting looks like."

You can read the entire article here.

The Yearnings of Young Collegians

2007-07-16T16:42:00.001-04:00

In yesterday's Sunday News of the York Daily Record, my good friend, Byron Borger, wrote an insightful article on preparing students for college. He writes about the difficulties of the transition but also highlights "reports that indicate a cultural, intellectual and spiritual renaissance among college students." You can read the article here.

New ABC TV Show About College: Nothing New

2007-07-10T13:26:00.001-04:00

What a busy last few weeks. Three weeks ago, Heidi and I spent two wonderful days at Camp Cowen in West Virginia. I presented the college transition seminar to about 40 college bound campers. It was my second year in a row doing a presentation there and I hope this becomes an annual tradition (no pressure Camp Cowen!). It is a fun place with an energized staff. Thank you Tim and Crystal for your hospitality and great music (be sure to check out their new CD from their band Treehands).

After that we spent two weeks at the Ocean City Beach Project in Ocean City, New Jersey. I taught a course on worldview and the students were a blast. Once again, could this be an annual tradition, please?!

Finally, last night, ABC Family had the premiere episode of the new show Greek. Well, um, hmmm… not sure it will last very long. It seems to be written for a high school audience, but I’m not sure high schoolers could take it seriously. If nothing else, it does help us to better understand what our culture thinks college is all about. The show will probably serve to shape the imaginations of many incoming freshman. That’s sad.

Parenting for College Success

2007-06-25T12:14:00.000-04:00

My good friend, Eric Bierker, owner of the College Transition Group, is offering a free resource for parents of college bound students. If you send him an e-mail you can receive a free copy of Parenting For College Success 101 a seven page resource for parents to help guide their children to college success (it will be sent to you as a Word document). Please note in your email that you want this resource. All the information you need is available here.

Thank you Eric!

What Does Ready Mean?

2007-06-20T12:00:00.000-04:00

This article, What Does Ready Mean? There is plenty of confusion about what it means to fully prepare students for life after high school, is very interesting. The article focuses on job readiness and makes the case that most students, even those that graduate college, do not have the job skills needed for most occupations. There seems to be a breakdown between the educational system that supposedly trains students for work, and the training required by most employers. What’s needed is “people skills.” Employers desperately need people who show up on time, work hard and are teachable. According to the article, most colleges and universities are having trouble graduating those kinds of students.

Most intriguing was a quote by Harvard professor Howard Gardner. He writes, “No one knows precisely how to fashion an education that will yield individuals who are disciplined, synthesizing, creative, respectful, and ethical.” Hmmm… If an education is not doing that, what exactly is it doing?

Middle School to High School Transition

2007-06-11T11:22:00.000-04:00

A new study reveals that the transition from middle school to high school is crucial in determining the likely hood of a smooth transition from high school to college. Meaning, we need to be thinking about this transition much sooner. Teenagers Overconfident, Underprepared for College: Survey finds alarming gap between college expectations and readiness in middle school students, an article reporting on the study, begins:

"Although a vast majority of American middle school students say they plan on attending college after high school, only one-third of them are aware of what it will take to get there, according to a recent nationwide survey. The National Association of Secondary School Principals and educational association Phi Delta Kappa International collaborated to interview more than 1,800 seventh- and eighth-grade students about their college plans, discovering that an overwhelming 92 percent said they planned on pursuing a college degree. However, 83 percent of those same students knew close to nothing about the classes it would take to graduate - a number that teachers and school administrators nationwide are calling alarming."

You can read the rest of the article here.

Keeping Faith from Fraying

2007-06-08T15:16:00.000-04:00

Recently, Rusty Benson of the American Family Association interviewed me about the issues facing students as they transition from high school to college. The interview appeared in the June edition of AFA's Journal. You can read the interview, Keeping Faith from Fraying, here.

Comment is at it Again!

2007-06-02T09:33:00.000-04:00

Comment Magazine has begun another great series on Making the Most of College. The first article in this installment is by David T. Koyzis entitled Making the most of college: preparing for leadership. The article is described this way:

How should you, an undergraduate student, go about preparing for responsibility, for citizenship, for leadership? Keep your courage up, your eyes wide, and your bookshelf stocked.

And last week Comment finished its previous series on Summer reading. Contributors made book suggestions to help us make wise summer reading choices. Byron Borger’s list, Tasty Summer Selections had some nice things to say about The Outrageous Idea of Academic Faithfulness. Thank you Byron!

The Book is Here!

2007-05-30T08:33:00.001-04:00

Last week I was at Geneva College for CCO’s annual training event, Spring Institute. I had an opportunity to present a seminar on college transition to about 20 campus ministers. Our goals were to better understand the issues students face when transitioning to college and to develop strategies for working with first year students. It was a good discussion.

Another exciting thing happened last week. I received a few copies of the book I coauthored which will be released on June 6 by Brazos Press. Coauthored with my good friend Don Opitz, the book is entitled The Outrageous Idea of Academic Faithfulness: A Guide for Students. It is an introductory text to help students gain a radical (outrageous!) vision for being faithful to Christ in their college studies and approach education as their vocation. I’m sure I’ll blog more about this in days to come, but I wanted to bring it to your attention now.

George Marsden, author of The Outrageous Idea of Christian Scholarship (now that’s a cool title!), had this to say:

The book provides clear and accessible guidelines on how to relate one’s faith to academics. I hope it is widely used.

We hope so too!

College Hopes and Worries

2007-05-15T09:12:00.000-04:00

The Princeton Review, an organization committed to helping students, parents, and educators achieve the best outcomes at all stages of their educational careers, has released data from an interested survey they conducted. The survey asked students and parents this question: "What 'dream college' would you most like to attend (or see your child attend) if acceptance or cost weren't issues?"

Top five answers by students:
1) New York University (for the third consecutive year)
2) Harvard
3) Stanford
4) Princeton
5) Columbia

For parents:
1) Stanford
2) Princeton
3) Harvard
4) Brown
5) Notre Dame

You can read the rest of the list here.

The survey also included useful information, such as:

65% report high levels of stress about the college application process (up 6% from last year).

70% expect the cost of their degree to exceed $75,000.

51% say getting financial aid will be "extremely necessary" to pay for college (and another 27% say it will be "very necessary").

For more statistics concerning “college hopes and worries” click here.

Plastic Surgery: The Perfect Graduation Gift?

2007-05-09T15:55:00.000-04:00

One of the issues I address in the college transition seminar is body image. There is a lot of pressure for students, both male and female, to look a certain way on campus. In an interview for CPYU, Brea, a local college student, had this to say:

“It is hard to feel beautiful when looking through fashion magazines. It is even harder at college. College is like walking in a fashion magazine 24/7. It's difficult enough to stay on top of schoolwork nevertheless to stay on top of what you look like in comparison to the hundreds of other young beautiful women walking around campus. It is the only time in life where you are surrounded by people your own age all trying to look their best. It makes you question your own identity and self worth. It's not easy.”

Well, it’s not going to get much easier. Check this out:

“When Courtney Powers graduated from high school last year, she didn’t receive a new computer or a trip to Europe. The North Carolina teen got a pair of D-cup breast implants… Although teens make up just 2 percent of cosmetic surgery patients in the United States, their numbers have grown. From 2002 to 2006, procedures performed on kids ages 13 to 19 nearly doubled to 244,124, including about 47,000 nose jobs and 9,000 breast augmentations, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). And it's become trendy for nose jobs, breast implants, teeth whitening, skin resurfacing and liposuction to top a grad’s wish list, says Dr. Roxanne Guy, ASPS president. She and other experts say the desire for teen cosmetic surgery has been fueled by television shows depicting extreme makeovers, as well as society's growing acceptance of plastic surgery in general.”

You can read the rest of the article, Way to go, grad! Here's a check for a new nose: Is cosmetic surgery an appropriate commencement gift for teens? and watch an informative video here.

This is a great discussion starter for teens. Read over the article, show the video and consider these questions:

1. Have you ever wanted to alter your appearance? What would you change?
2. Do you feel pressure to look a certain way? Describe it.
3. Where does the pressure come from?
4. How does your faith speak into this issue?
5. What difference does it make to know that you are a child of God?

Good Times in Tulsa

2007-05-07T11:17:00.000-04:00

This weekend I was in Tulsa, Oklahoma presenting the college transition seminar. It was a great time with students and parents. A big thanks to Jay and Brad for their hospitality and encouragement. The First United Methodist Church of Tulsa is doing great ministry, and it was exciting to be a part of it in some small way.

At this particular seminar we spent a good bit of time talking about college students and finances. I presented the issues facing students in this area, especially debt (college loans and credit cards). It has been my experience that most college students don’t know some of the basics of “how money works.” Simple concepts like “compound interest” have not been taught and/or grasped. I try to make the case that part of the responsibility of preparing students for life after high school is teaching them about finances. During the question and answer time, a few parents asked me for resources. Here are a few that I think are helpful:

The Young Americans Center for Financial Education provides valuable statistics here.

You can read the results of an informative Bank of America Survey here.

USA Today has run many articles concerning college students and finances. Start here and then do a search to find more.

My wife and I have benefited from the Good Sense Ministry which has as its mission: "To empower church leaders to implement a biblically based stewardship ministry within the local church.” The material may need to be translated and adapted to reach teenagers, but I think it is a good place to get information and then think through how to present it to youth.

New York Times: Faith on Campus

2007-05-07T10:50:00.001-04:00

Someone just brought this to my attention, and I think that the New York Times only allows a week to view articles online. The article appeared last week on May 2 and concerns “religion” on college campuses. It makes the case that more and more students are interested in learning about faith and are engaging in “religious practices” such as worship services and prayer. Matters of Faith Find a New Prominence on Campus begins:

“Peter J. Gomes has been at Harvard University for 37 years, and says he remembers when religious people on campus felt under siege. To be seen as religious often meant being dismissed as not very bright, he said. No longer. At Harvard these days, said Professor Gomes, the university preacher, ‘There is probably more active religious life now than there has been in 100 years.’”

You can read the entire article here.

New Look!

2007-05-03T08:59:00.000-04:00

I failed to mention in my last post that this site has a new look. I changed the template and think this one is a bit easier to read. And in other big, “new look” news… The Center for Parent/Youth Understanding has also changed the look of its website! Check it out here.

College Drinking and Heart Problems

2007-05-01T15:13:00.000-04:00

Wow! It has been a long time since I wrote on this blog. Does anyone still look at this site? Just curious. I think part of the problem was that I spent the first 16 days of March in Russia teaching a class and when I came back I was busy with seminars and other things. Now I will try to make more time.

Here’s something of interest. “New research from the American Heart Association (AHA) reveals that college students who drink excessively can double their levels of something known as C-reactive protein (CRP), a biological marker for inflammation that has been associated with a higher chance of cardiovascular problems.” Dr. Sanjay Gupta writes for Time/CNN:

“In many ways, I was a pretty typical pre-med student. I studied hard with hopes of becoming a doctor, and on the weekends I drank socially with good friends. As I got older and passed through medical school and residency, my thirst for alcohol waned considerably. As it turns out, that may have been a good thing for many reasons. I didn't know it at that time, but drinking heavily, even as far back as college, could have increased my risk of heart disease.”

Read the rest here.

College Transition Symposium

2007-02-14T06:42:00.000-05:00

Attention all college bound high school students, parents and youth workers: It is not too late to register for the College Transition Symposium being held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania this weekend! The event is at the Omni William Penn Hotel and is from 1:00 - 6:00pm (includes dinner). Participants are invited to attend jubilee on Saturday night.

Speakers include: Abbie Smith, Susan Den Herder, Terry Thomas and me (the Saturday night speaker at Jubilee is Gary Haugen of the International Justice Mission)!

You can learn more here.

You can register for the symposium here.

College Prep 101

2006-11-28T12:19:00.000-05:00

(First, I want to welcome new subscribers who attended the college transition seminar in Clay, New York on November 18. I enjoyed our time together and I hope I was able to start a conversation about these issues that will continue. Thank you for having me!)

Go! magazine is published by the South Baptist agency North American Mission Board. I recently came across their website. It has many helpful articles for young people concerning life and faith. They have an entire section dedicated to helping Christian students thrive during the college and university years.

I have recently updated the articles section of the CTI website to include their “College Prep 101” collection of articles. You can get there by clicking here.

And there are even more articles to consider here.

Half of Us Website

2006-11-14T11:12:00.000-05:00

While I disagree with some of its conclusions, I fully agree with this website’s intent: to bring awareness to the seriousness of depression among college students. The website called “half of us” is a reference to the statistic that nearly half of all college students feel so depressed at some point that they have trouble functioning. From the first page of the site:

“The pain is real. Remember that the next time someone tells you to ‘snap out of it’ or ‘quit feeling sorry for yourself.’ More college students struggle with depression, anxiety and other issues than you'd think. Nearly half have felt so depressed that it was difficult to function. Through Half of Us, learn about the warning signs, find help on your campus, and connect with students across the country. Half of Us is way too many to be dealing with this alone.”

The website is promoted by MTVU and ULifeLine. It features helpful information about depression and other issues related to college students' mental and physical health.

You can visit the website here.

Federal Money Approved for College Age Abstinence Programs

2006-11-02T10:52:00.000-05:00

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is allowing federally funded abstinence-education dollars to reach a population that includes those of college age. It sounds like a good idea. For example, from the press release:

“Not only do people in this age group have the highest STD rates, but they also have the highest non-marital pregnancy rates.”

“More than one out of three college students have already had six or more sexual partners. This greatly increases their risk for contracting a sexually transmitted infection.”

“Forty-three percent of college age women report having been pregnant at some time.”

“More than forty percent of sexually active college age women contract human papillomavirus (HPV) within a few years time. This virus causes virtually all cervical cancer.”

“One-third of all cases of chlamydia, which can cause infertility, occur among this age group.”

“One in five college women have been forced to have sex.”

The statistics come from the Medical Institute for Sexual Health.

You can read the entire press release here.

New Articles Online

2006-10-30T12:49:00.000-05:00

As you probably know, CPYU’s website is continually being updated. Recently, a few articles have been put on the CTI Articles section that might interest you. They’re written by yours truly.

One is entitled Conversations for the College Bound and suggests conversation partners that college bound students should pursue. You can read it here.

The second one is called The Lion the Witch and the College Campus. It features an interview with renowned C.S. Lewis scholar, David C. Downing. Dr. Downing discusses issues Christian students face when transitioning to a secular campus. You can read the article here.

Enjoy!

Freshman 15 Loses Some Weight

2006-10-24T10:27:00.000-04:00

It looks like the “freshman 15,” the infamous fifteen extra pounds that college freshman supposedly put on during their first year of college, is actually more like 8 pounds. See, this is why you shouldn’t do research. “Freshman 15” kind of roles off the tongue: both words are two syllables and begin with the letter f. “Freshman 8” is awkward. And, it’s more like 7.9. Hey kids, watch for the freshman 7.9 this year. That’s just confusing.

Anyway, the new data that keeps us from having fun was reported by USA Today on Monday. The article explains a recent study conducted by the Obesity Society. From the article entitled Freshman 15 drops some pounds:

“Although the freshman-year weight gain is less than thought, nutritionists are not applauding. They still fear these young adults are laying the groundwork for heavy adulthood by succumbing to the temptation of unlimited and unsupervised food choices.

‘The first year of college is a vulnerable time for students,’ says lead researcher Elizabeth Lloyd-Richardson, an assistant professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown University Medical School in Providence. ‘While most are not gaining the Freshman 15, many are gaining weight and aren't taking it off.’”

The article mentions the abuse of freedom, the ability for students to eat whatever they want, whenever they want (which is such a weird thing, the more I think about it), and it discusses how students fail to exercise. Now that I think of it, it’s kind of surprising to me that you don’t hear of lawsuits against college cafeterias. Think about it: there’s gotta be someone to blame here.

And, as my good friend and co-worker Chris Wagner pointed out in an email: “I think perhaps they've overlooked the possibility that eating disorders/body image issues could be a cause for the average decrease in weight gain.” I agree.

You can read the entire article here.

What Type of Students Are We Developing: The State of Our Seniors

2006-10-18T10:23:00.000-04:00

Kara Powell, Ph.D. is the executive director of the Center for Youth and Family Ministry (CYFM) at Fuller Theological Seminary. She is currently heading up CYFM’s College Transition Project which has two goals: (1) to better understand what happens to students when they transition from youth group life into college/young adult life and (2) to identify the components of youth group life that seem to be associated with a healthy, or positive, transition into college.

The research efforts have been very helpful to my work with the College Transition Initiative. Dr. Powell is really working hard to provide youth workers with statistical data that can help to paint a more accurate picture of how well youth groups are preparing teenagers for the rest of their lives.

Recently, Dr. Powell has released some of the findings of CYFM’s research in an article entitled “What Type of Students Are We Developing? The State of Our Seniors.” Dr. Powell explains:

"The board of the National Association of Evangelicals, an umbrella group representing 60 denominations and dozens of ministries, recently passed a resolution deploring “the epidemic of young people leaving the evangelical church.” Given that some denominations estimate that over 50% of their youth group graduates fall away from either their faith or their faith communities upon entering college, we can’t keep patting high school seniors… on the back on graduation Sunday, hand them a gift Bible, and hope for the best. Through the CYFM College Transition Project, we’re hoping to arrive at research-based answers to the tough questions that not only plague seniors after they graduate, but also youth workers concerned about students falling away from the faith."

You can read the entire article here.

Study says students love selves

2006-10-05T14:47:00.000-04:00

Here is an interesting story concerning college students. Supposedly current students are more narcissistic than ever. This is according to a study being done by W. Keith Campbell, a University psychology professor. The following comes from redandblack.com, an independent student newspaper at the University of Georgia:

Checking Facebook profiles or MySpace accounts, pondering what to wear to class or stacking resumes may sound routine for many college students. But one University professor thinks it’s a sign that students today are different than their predecessors.

College students today are more narcissistic than any previously studied generation according to trends W. Keith Campbell, a University psychology professor, has observed in his ongoing study on narcissism among young adults.

There has been a significant change in self-perception since the 1960s, Campbell said.
“About every indicator is that people are getting more self-absorbed,” he said.

You can read the rest the article here.

New Movie About Binge Drinking

2006-09-25T17:27:00.000-04:00

Lifetime has partnered with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to raise awareness on underage and binge drinking.

Read the press release here.

Cheating in Business... Oh My!

2006-09-21T16:06:00.000-04:00

As reported in my last post, one of the things your college student won’t tell you is: “Sure, I’ve cheated. Who hasn’t?” Well, here is an interesting bit of information concerning graduate students and cheating. Guess which academic program students tend to cheat in the most? Business! Can you guess why? Because cheating is supposedly part of the business world. Here’s the report:

“Graduate business students in the United States and Canada are more likely to cheat on their work than their counterparts in other academic fields, the author of a research paper said on Wednesday. The study of 5,300 graduate students in the United States and Canada found that 56 percent of graduate business students admitted to cheating in the past year, with many saying they cheated because they believed it was an accepted practice in business.”

You can read the rest of the short article explaining the research here.

10 Things Your College Student Won't Tell You

2006-09-19T12:06:00.000-04:00

It is September and millions of students are heading to college. Maybe you have a son or daughter who recently made the transition. Maybe you work at a college or university and wonder about what really goes on in the lives of students. SmartMoney.com has a very insightful article worth considering entitled, “10 Things Your College Student Won’t Tell You.” Drum role please… and here they are:

1. “Sure, I’ve cheated. Who hasn’t?”
2. “Everyone knows that ‘studying abroad’ is one big party.”
3. “I’d stay here forever if I could get you to pay for it.”
4. “College life can be hazardous to my health.”
5. “My resume isn’t the only thing I have posted on the Internet.”
6. “Just because I was a straight arrow in high school, doesn’t mean I will be in college.”
7. “My grades are none of your business.”
8. “I’ll do just about anything for money.”
9. “I’m up to my ears in credit card debt…”
10. “… so I’ll be moving back home after graduation.”

Each statement is backed up with statistics and stories, making it a helpful resource to have at your disposal as well as a good conversation starter to have with students and parents.

You can read the entire article here.

NEW Barna Research: Twentysomethings Put Christianity on the Shelf

2006-09-12T10:30:00.000-04:00

The following comes from The Barna Group:

“Transitions in life are rarely simple. Some of the most significant and complex shifts that people undergo occur during the transition from adolescence to early adulthood. An important part of that maturation is the refinement of people’s spiritual commitment and behavior.

A new study by The Barna Group (Ventura, California) shows that despite strong levels of spiritual activity during the teen years, most twentysomethings disengage from active participation in the Christian faith during their young adult years – and often beyond that. In total, six out of ten twentysomethings were involved in a church during their teen years, but have failed to translate that into active spirituality during their early adulthood.”

You can read the entire article, complete with graphs and an explanation of their methodology, here.

The director of the research, David Kinnaman, offers insightful comments as well. Here’s a sample:

“There is considerable debate about whether the disengagement of twentysomethings is a lifestage issue – that is, a predictable element in the progression of people’s development as they go through various family, occupational and chronological stages – or whether it is unique to this generation. While there is some truth to both explanations, this debate misses the point, which is that the current state of ministry to twentysomethings is woefully inadequate to address the spiritual needs of millions of young adults. These individuals are making significant life choices and determining the patterns and preferences of their spiritual reality while churches wait, generally in vain, for them to return after college or when the kids come. When and if young adults do return to churches, it is difficult to convince them that a passionate pursuit of Christ is anything more than a nice add-on to their cluttered lifestyle.”

Georgetown Kicks Off Campus Ministry Organizations

2006-09-06T11:19:00.000-04:00

Here is an interesting story to keep an eye on. From Georgetown University’s newspaper, The Hoya: “Citing a desire to centralize the administration of Protestant campus ministry groups, Georgetown abruptly severed its ties with all of its affiliated ministry organizations last week, barring several long-established religious groups from campus. The move will not affect organizations composed solely of students, but it will prevent many ministry groups run or directed by outsider groups, like local churches, from conducting any activities on campus. Such groups include InterVarsity, the Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship and Crossroad Campus Christian Fellowship.” (Read more here.)

There is a good summary of the issue from Christianity Today here.

And, you can read more from the following news sources:

Georgetown U. ejects private ministry groups (The Washington Post)

Georgetown bars ministries from campus (The Washington Times)

Georgetown rejects evangelical groups (Inside Higher Ed)

The best, short, commentary I have read comes from First Things here. The author does a good job of focusing in on the "real" central issue:

“The problem, of course, finally boils down to this: The evangelical groups represent only a few hundred students, but they are strongly pro-life and opposed to homosexual marriage. The mainline Protestant employees of Campus Ministry find such things embarrassing, and so they kick the evangelicals off campus, employing the power of the officially Catholic chaplain’s office and the rhetoric of the school’s Catholic identity.

There’s an obvious irony here—employed too often to be surprising—in which people begin by protesting in the name of diversity against centralized authority, and later discover, once they’re in charge, how useful those old forms of authority can be in controlling diversity.”

Let's Talk About Sex & Student Spending

2006-08-30T15:15:00.000-04:00

Here’s a good conversation starter. Every now and then Trend Central posts a college student testimonial of sorts. The most recent one is of a college student talking about sex on campus. The short testimonial explains some of the different attitudes towards sex between guys and girls at college:

“Sex in college seems to be more about how others will judge you, rather than the act itself. Guys, of course, get respect out of sex. They will actually forgo the towel and instead write across their door whiteboard a message to their roommate, “Don’t come in! I’m having sex,” while the girl waits patiently inside. At my school, this is called ‘Sexiling.’”

You can read the rest here.

And, “according to the National Retail Federation, college students will spend $36.6 billion on furniture, supplies and books, with freshmen spending $1,152 on average, the New York Times writes (via MediaBuyerPlanner). And 29 percent of college students will do their shopping online this year.”

For more on student spending, click here.

"New Ivies" and Party Schools

2006-08-28T10:42:00.000-04:00

I’m passing along two lists. The first is from Newsweek. “The Kaplan College Guide” has suggested 25 colleges and universities that are the “New Ivies.” You can read the article and entire list here. (There are many other good articles to navigate to on this page as well.)

The second list is from The Princeton Review. From the press release:

“The Texas Longhorns earned another national title Monday, not for football but as the country's best party school. The University of Texas at Austin beat Penn State University, West Virginia University and last year's winner, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, in the Princeton Review survey of 115,000 students at campuses around the country. It topped the overall list — its first time atop the Princeton Review chart — by ranking second in the use of hard liquor, third in beer drinking and 13th in marijuana smoking.”

You can read the entire article here.

Youth Exodus from Church: What Are We Doing Wrong?

2006-08-24T15:51:00.000-04:00

Matt Friedeman, professor at Wesley Biblical Seminary, responds to a new report revealing that 88% of children from evangelical homes are leaving the church shortly after they graduate from high school. Friedeman offers three reasons for why this is the case:

First, we give students what they want, instead of what they need.

Second, when Jesus made disciples of young men… he challenged them to “follow me.” Discipleship in Jesus’ day meant spending time with an adult… There was no cool websites, lock-ins, hip-hop bands or youth organizations pulling out the stops to come up with neat, new (actually, frequently gross) games to capture attention before a quick three-point Bible study and pizza.

Third, I wonder if we don’t significantly cheat our kids when we suggest that vital discipleship can exist without a life of evangelism and compassionate service.

You can read the entire article here.

The author welcomes responses here.

New Subscription Notification

2006-08-22T15:53:00.000-04:00

Just a quick note to all of my current subscribers (and, hopefully future subscribers!). I have changed my subscription notification service from bloglet to blogarithm. This should not affect you in any way. You will continue to receive a short email telling you that the CTI blog has been updated. Thanks for reading and stay tuned for future posts.

Web Addition: Suggested Reading for College Bound Students

2006-08-21T11:05:00.000-04:00

The following is a list of books I have compiled for the “suggested reading” section on CPYU’s website. You can view the list on the web here. I’m always looking to expand the list, so feel free to offer suggestions. The books are listed alphabetically by author. Enjoy!

Study Bible. Every major translation offers the Bible in a “study” form. Study Bibles include commentary, notes, cross references, and additional information to assist in Bible study and devotions. A study Bible is essential for all Christian college students.

How to Stay Christian in College, J. Budziszewski. This book offers a helpful introduction to what it looks like to be a Christian in college. Buziszewski is honest about the realities that students face and suggests practical ways to make your faith “real” on campus. The author is significantly qualified to write this book: he “walked away” from the faith while in college, received a Ph.D. from Yale, and then returned to the faith ten years later. He currently teaches at the University of Texas. (I also recommend his follow-up book, Ask Me Anything: Provocative Answers for College Students.)

The Survival Guide for Christians on Campus: How to Be Students and Disciples at the Same Time, Tony Campolo and William Willimon. The saying “don’t judge a book by its cover” certainly applies here. With the “Survivor” theme and clipart on the spine, this book looks trite and trivial, but it’s not. It is a solid book written by two people that have spent their entire adult lives on college campuses.

Letters to a Student: Encouraging Words from a Christian Mentor, Donald J. Drew. This book is a collection of letters sent to college bound students. The letters include insight on every aspect of college life including, your first two weeks on campus, postmodernism, dealing with temptation, doubt, how to choose good Christian books, and preparing for your vocation. Very readable and encouraging.

The Call: Finding and Fulfilling the Central Purpose of Your Life, Os Guinness. The best book I have read on “calling” and vocation from a Christian perspective. This book is also available in a shorter form (five chapters), making it an ideal gift for graduating high school seniors. The shorter version is entitled, Rising to the Call: Discovering the Ultimate Purpose of Your Life.

Understanding God’s Will: How to Hack the Equation without Formulas, Kyle Lake. Where will you go to college? What will your major be? What will you do after college? These questions have two things in common: (1) every college student asks them and (2) they have everything to do with understanding God’s will. Lake’s book clarifies some of the confusion around “discovering God’s will” and helps readers see how their story fits into God’s story.

Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis. All college students should know about this important historical figure and Christian apologist. Mere Christianity is a good place to start and should help to encourage yet another generation of Lewis readers. It’s not an “easy read” but it is well worth the effort.

Freshman: The College Student’s Guide to Developing Wisdom, Mark Matlock. The college years are formative for the rest of life. Decisions made during these “critical” years will determine the “rest of your story.” Students need wisdom to make God honoring decisions. This book helps students become wise.

New Way to Be Human: A Provocative Look at What it Means to Follow Jesus, Charlie Peacock. This book was written as a response to conversations that the author had with college students. He wanted to write a book that would address the kinds of questions that students are asking today. It is clearly stated and very informative.

Engaging God’s World: A Christian Vision of Faith, Learning and Living, Cornelius Plantinga. Originally written for incoming college freshman, this book invites students to engage in the crucial process of life-long learning, "One way to love God is to know and love God's work. Learning is therefore a spiritual calling: properly done, it attaches us to God. In addition, the learned person has, so to speak, more to be Christian with."

Don’t Waste Your Life, John Piper. This book is powerful, plain and simple. Piper challenges students to take their lives seriously and to not settle for the status quo. The title says it all.

Life Inside the “Thin” Cage: A Personal Look into the Hidden World of the Chronic Dieter, Constance Rhodes. One of the toughest issues facing female college students concerns body image and eating disorders. Even if you don’t think you struggle with these issues now, just wait until you get to college. The temptation is great. This book will help you navigate the challenge faithfully offering very practical advice.

Keeping Your Faith in College, Abbie Smith. This unique book is a collection of stories concerning college life and faith from over 35 colleges across the nation. Smith paints a realistic picture of what it is like to live out one’s faith in the college setting. (Visit her website to learn more: www.keepingyourfaith.com)

On Earth As It Is In Advertising? Moving from Commercial Hype to Gospel Hope, Sam Van Eman. Perhaps the most influential “professor” students have in college is the media. The media is pervasive, teaching students what is and what ought to be. Van Eman equips college students to see through the lies of media and advertising in order to see more clearly the truth of the Gospel.

New Web Addition

2006-08-15T09:58:00.000-04:00

During my last two college transition seminars, one at a great camp in West Virginia, Camp Cowen and the other Calvary Chapel of Central Bucks, I was asked a similar question. The last section of the seminar asks students to consider “With whom will they surround themselves?” and discusses the college connections needed to make a smooth transition i.e. healthy relationships and Christian community. I tell students (and parents) that they can begin to make the connections before heading to college by surfing the web and finding out what campus ministry organizations are on their campus.

The question I was asked at the last two seminars was: “Do you have a list of campus ministry organizations?” I did not. Now I do. I have started a list of campus ministry organizations and links on CPYU’s website. You can access it here.

The list contains a brief statement concerning the ministry. Each organization also has a campus ministry locator so that you can see if they have staff on your campus.

I don’t intend for this to be a complete list. I’m sure I’m missing other good organizations. Please “comment” to let me know of other organizations that you think I should include.

Making the Most of College

2006-07-14T11:14:00.000-04:00

I want to draw your attention to a very good series of articles being published by Comment, a publication of the Work Research Foundation based in Canada. Comment is best known for publishing excellent articles helping people integrate faith into all of life. This particular series is focusing on college students, but provides much wisdom that can be applied to every stage of life.

In the introduction to this series, editor and good friend Dr. Gideon Strauss writes:

“Comment is committed to cultivating the next generation of cultural leaders. It is, indeed, in the college years that most people make the decisions that will guide them as they provide leadership throughout their adult years.”

To read the rest of the introduction, click here.

To see a list of all of the articles included in the series, click here.

The online articles will be compiled and printed in a hardcopy form and available for purchase in the fall. For more information on Comment, the Work Research Foundation, or on how to obtain a copy (a great gift for college bound high school students and/or college freshman!), click here.

Why Read I Am Charlotte Simmons?

2006-06-15T09:31:00.000-04:00

I Am Charlotte Simmons came out last summer and is the latest novel by Tom Wolfe. Wolfe, the social scientist that he is, attempted to capture what life is like on American college campuses through the eyes of a college freshman, Charlotte Simmons. At times, the book is vile and vulgar and led many critics to conclude that Wolfe was using hyberbole. It can't be that bad. Students don't act like that, do they? This response surprised me.

I have been around institutions of higher education, both Christian and secular, for the last ten years and I found Wolfe's depiction pretty accurate. Of course, there were times that I thought Wolfe could have done without some of the language, partying and sex. There were too many of these scenes that didn't advance the plot. But my criticisms of the novel were more literary than anything else. I thought, on the whole, Wolfe described student attitudes and campus culture pretty well.

Why should we read I Am Charlotte Simmons? That's a good question. And one that a writer from World magazine recently answered. Joel Belz writes:

"If the explicit nature of I Am Charlotte Simmons is an offense to the reader who wants to guard his or her heart—and it is—that offense is nothing compared to the reality the novel so indecently describes, and the fact that tens of thousands of people who would never read the book are allowing and even encouraging their children to live in that reality."

You can read the article, "Vile and Vulgar: But Tom Wolfe’s offensive fiction describes a reality parents should take seriously" in its entirety here (but only until June 21).

It's not very long and well worth the time. It may even help you narrow down your summer reading list!

Prepare for College: Read the Bible

2006-06-08T10:20:00.000-04:00

A friend pointed me in the direction of yesterday’s addition of Chuck Colson’s Breakpoint. Colson suggested that one of the best ways to prepare for college is to read the bible. That may not surprise you, but what might is that some leading English professors, many of whom are not Christians, agree! From Breakpoint:

“The relationship between biblical literacy and education was the subject of a survey conducted by the Bible Literacy Project. The study, whose subtitle is 'What University Professors Say Incoming Students Need to Know,' found that every professor surveyed agreed with the following statement: 'Regardless of a person’s faith, an educated person needs to know about the Bible.' Every professor!”

To listen to or read Breakpoint click here.

For more on the Bible Literacy Project click here.

For a full summary of the bible literacy survey click here.

The Da Vinci Code

2006-05-16T16:15:00.000-04:00

I have sorted through some of The Da Vinci Code websites and books and offer a few recommendations here. My friend, Byron Borger, from Hearts and Minds Bookstore (and H&M booknotes) offers book recommendations here.

And, I wrote an article entitled, Engaging The Da Vinci Code here. (For a PDF, click here.)

The big movie opens on Friday and it is sure to create quite the buzz and start many meaningful conversations. Hopefully, my article will help you be ready to respond.

Enjoy!

Student Disengagement

2006-04-19T10:31:00.000-04:00

Hat tip to my good friend Byron Borger for pointing me in the direction of this revealing article. I first heard about it on Mars Hill Audio Journal and didn’t know that it was available online.

The article entitled, “A Very Long Disengagement” is by Mark Bauerlein, professor of English at Emory University. Bauerlein argues that students are less and less engaged each year and that many students lack basic knowledge about history, civics, literature, the arts, geography, and politics. He makes a strong case for how the media has shaped students’ lives and how it leads to more disengagement. From the article:

We can be certain that they have mastered the fare that fills their five hours per day with screens — TV, DVD, video games, computers for fun — leaving young adults with extraordinarily precise knowledge of popular music, celebrities, sports, and fashion. But when it comes to the traditional subjects of liberal education, the young mind goes nearly blank. In the last few years, an accumulation of survey research on civics, history, literature, the fine arts, geography, and politics reveals one dismal finding after another. The surveys vary in sample size and question design, and they tend to focus on basic facts, but they consistently draw the same general inference: Young people are cut off from the worlds beyond their social circuit. While the wealth and education of young Americans has increased, their knowledge levels have either dropped or remained flat in the following important areas.

The article proceeds to discuss some of the research and provides illustrations from his own experience as a professor.

A Good Website and Essay for Good Friday

2006-04-13T10:20:00.001-04:00

On Friday, April 14, Westminster Theological Seminary will launch a website concerning The Da Vinci Code novel and movie. This looks very promising. You can read a press release here. You can visit the website here. From the press release:

"We certainly appreciate the engaging narrative, and recognize an author's right to present a good yarn," explains Dr. Bill Edgar, Professor of Apologetics at Westminster. "But we are concerned because the mix of fact and fiction in the book and presumably the film is leading many readers to question the Bible's message and its impact on history."

Looking for more enjoyable reading over the Easter holiday? I highly recommend this essay by Dr. David Naugle entitled “Language, Liturgy, and Life: Towards a Christian Vision of Education.” Dr. Naugle is a professor at Dallas Baptist University and this address was recently given at the Lexington Christian Academy’s conference “Faith and Worldview Teaching: Cultivating Inquiry Across the Curriculum.”

Dr. Naugle puts forth a powerful vision for Christian education (both secondary and higher education). He first points out the other pervasive and persuasive “educator” of our day, popular culture, and explains how educators must take seriously the ways in which pop culture, fueled by the media, shapes students’ lives. Dr. Naugle then offers a way forward for Christian educators focusing of three areas:

Language: A recovery of a classic Christian vocabulary and way of naming and explaining the world that is rooted in Scripture, and mediated through the diverse yet unified academic disciplines taught in a Christian perspective.

Liturgy: A recognition of the liturgy-like character of education which consists of various academic rituals of formation that are intended to shape students as Christians in their intellectual, spiritual, moral, emotional, and physical lives.

Life: A vision that the language and liturgies of Christian education will “reconstitute” the lives of students in godly ways, fostering long-term faithfulness in their private and public callings, and enabling them to serve as agents of God’s kingdom and shalom in every area of thought and life.

The Gospel of Dan Brown

2006-04-10T16:00:00.000-04:00

My latest CPYU assignment is to research and write about the cultural malaise caused by Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code. I have until May 1st to complete an article that helps students, parents and youth workers navigate the many questions and challenges to the Christian faith that this popular novel (soon to be a movie) has created.

As you know, this blog serves as a window to my desk, giving readers a look at the pile of articles that continues to grow in the bin next to me. Now, here’s a window into my life: My wife and I are having our basement finished by a family friend. This morning I was up early to help him carry equipment into the basement. We finished and I offered him a homemade chocolate peanut butter egg. Over our “egg,” my carpenter friend (ironic?) had some questions for me. He wanted to know what I knew about the new discovery of the “Gospel of Judas.” A good Christian man, he wasn’t sure what to believe. Last night he had watched a show on the National Geographic channel and he commented, “They are pretty sure that this old book should have been included in the Bible.” We had a nice conversation and then we both headed off to work.

I offer this story as an example of the kind of situations that many of us may face in the coming months. Of course, this is nothing new. Every year, right around Easter time it seems, a “new discovery” is made the “challenges” our understanding of Jesus. Two weeks ago it was the Jesus Papers, last week it was the “Gospel of Judas,” and in the past year The Da Vinci Code has many people reading the supposed “Gospel of Thomas.” Whatever it is, the line runs something like this: Everything the church has told you about Jesus is not true… This fill-in-the-blank “new discovery” has uncovered the secret that we have all been looking for in our quest to find the “true Jesus.” The church has lied to you in order to control you and to exercise power over you.

I’m not undermining the importance of research and scholarship. I’m not trying to sound trite or be patronizing. It’s just that it is beginning to sound like a broken record. (I mean, CD. Do CDs skip when they are broken? We need a new saying!) Anyway, you get the idea. In a “suspicious” culture like ours, any hint of suspicion can quickly get many Christians off track. And many times, the target is Christian college students forced to “defend” and explain their faith for the first time. This is a good and important exercise, to be sure, but it isn’t always easy. Hopefully my article will help students (and those charged with helping students) navigate the challenges cause by The Da Vinci Code.

I could really use your help as I do research for this article. Has anyone come across any good resources (books, articles, websites) for “Decoding the Da Vinci Code”?

Letter to the Community from Duke President Brodhead

2006-04-07T09:45:00.000-04:00

Laxpower.com, a website dedicated to all things lacrosse, has a helpful compilation of information concerning the incident involving the Duke University lacrosse team. Duke’s president’s “Letter to the Community” is worth reading. As the president indicates, the lacrosse team incident is not unique to lacrosse, NCAA athletics, or Duke University, but is bringing to the surface deeper issues of the current landscape of higher education and college student culture. Duke’s president seems genuinely concerned to address these issues at its roots and make changes to the university where needed. We’ll see.

Marks of Academic Revival

2006-04-06T10:51:00.000-04:00

"Is revival a meeting, or a way of living? Keith Martel calls students and teachers to seek revival that goes to the very heart of what the academy and Christian faith are about."

My good friend Keith Martel has written a great article for Comment, an online journal based in Canada. Martel’s main concern is exploring what a revival on a college campus would actually look like. He offers nine marks of academic revival and prays for a student body to take them seriously. This article is well written and worth the time... even if you are not a current college student or work in higher education. Read it and pass it along!

Marks of Academic Revival (Web)

Marks of Academic Revival (PDF)

World's Longest Umbilical Cord

2006-03-31T09:58:00.000-05:00

My good friend from The Falls Church in Northern Virginia passed along a few helpful articles concerning college transition. Both articles discuss the difficulties in parenting college freshman. The following quote by Richard Mullendore, Professor of College Student Affairs Administration at the University of Georgia is a good summary:

“I’ve been known for the last few years to call the cell phone the world’s longest umbilical cord.”

What are the challenges ahead for parenting college students? How should parents respond to the needs of their college bound children? Here are two articles that offer some insight and advice:

Helicopter Parents

New Umbilical Cords Tie Young Adults to Parents

Goat: A Memoir Concerning Fraternity Life

2006-03-29T12:50:00.000-05:00

Note to subscribers: There was something wrong with bloglet in the last two weeks and I didn’t notice it. There were no emails sent letting you know that the blog had been updated. You may have missed some good information on Spring Break, cheating, and where high school students go once they “graduate” from church youth groups. You may want to scroll down to see the posts, or you can get there faster by clicking here and here.

I also want to quickly highlight a helpful book that I just finished reading. The book is entitled Goat: A Memoir and is about a college student who pledged a fraternity at Clemson University. Goat takes readers on a journey into the heart and mind of a young man trying to find identity and belonging. The book is honest about the fraternity scene, exposing the reality of the social atmosphere on college campuses. While it vividly describes acts of sexuality, partying and violence, it doesn’t glorify these aspects of college culture. In fact, the book appears to have been written in the hopes of bringing awareness to these issues in order to assist others working on ways to find solutions to the problems associated with the partying culture in general and Greek life in particular.

An admirable feature of the book is a list of helpful discussion questions. The author seems genuinely concerned with the negative aspects of Greek life. Here are two sample questions illustrating the author’s intentions for writing the book (you can see all of the questions here):

Throughout Land’s memoir, many characters grapple with the difficulty of fitting in with their peers. What sorts of pressures do you feel are placed on young men and women? Where does this stress come from? What could be done to combat it?

In your opinion, is the Greek system in the United States a viable outlet for young men and women? Given the long, public history of hazing and abuses committed by some fraternities and sororities, do you feel the Greek system should be abolished? If not, how could conditions be improved?

I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning more about Greek life and college student culture, especially parents, youth workers or campus ministers who may not know much about Greek life. Of course, this is only one person’s story and should not be considered normative for all student experiences. Not all students will share the same story as the author, and there are many positive aspects of Greek life, to be sure, but this book offers a window into the life of one student’s journey and transition to college.

For more information about the book, visit the author’s website here.

To read an insightful interview with the author click here. Here's a sample:

What is it about the need to belong that makes people go to such extremes to be a part of something?

I think there’s a great deal of pressure to belong, to feel that you are doing the right thing with your life, in your own eyes, in the eyes of your parents and the people in your town. Go to college, be well adjusted, get a job, sell something, make money, join the country club. I knew lots of people who thought about which sorority or fraternity they'd join while they were still in high school. It's a dangerous sort of pressure, I think, and it doesn't just come from friends; it’s teachers, parents, neighbors.

Where do students go once they graduate?

2006-03-16T15:32:00.000-05:00

Kara Powell, executive director of the Center for Youth and Family Ministry (CYFM) at Fuller Theological Seminary, has written a short article releasing some of her findings from her research with CYFM’s College Transition Project.

The article is entitled “Where do they go once they graduate?” and summarizes some of the highlights from a recent conversation with youth workers. Dr. Powell explains that “the common description of maturity is inadequate. Focus group members have found that two common descriptions of seniors’ ‘maturity’ or ‘health’ do not, by themselves, create a healthy bridge into college. The first of these descriptors was a verbal ‘profession of faith.’ The second was ‘performing the faith,’ or showing moral behaviors (i.e., not drinking alcohol, avoiding drugs, sexual abstinence). While both a verbal profession of faith and moral behaviors might be helpful for a graduate, they were generally viewed as inadequate in fully preparing a student for life after college.”

There is also a list and explanation of the “qualities of a graduate who is likely to transition well into college life.” They include having a Christian worldview; being able to articulate the Christian story in one’s own language; being community minded; involvement in a small group; and having adult mentors.

The article includes discussion questions to be used by youth workers and parents to reflect their own practices for preparing students for college.

Spring Break, Warning to Parents and Cheating

2006-03-13T10:22:00.000-05:00

Three interesting bits of information to pass along: Spring Break research, a column on how colleges undermine student inhibitions, and a new way that schools are monitoring plagiarism.

It’s that time of year. Thousands of students are heading down to tropical destinations to take a break from partying at their own colleges or universities in order to party where it is hot and sunny. Last week, for strictly research purposes, I watched The Real Cancun, a documentary following 16 “real-live” college students as they partook in the many festivities in Cancun. Don’t waste your money. The movie is not worth your time. I watched most of it in fast-forward. What is worth your time is reading some research released by The American Medical Association concerning what goes on at Spring Break and the dangers that women students face. Dr. J. Edward Hill, AMA’s president, is trying to call attention to underage drinking among women because their bodies process alcohol differently and put them at greater risk for health problems. You can read a summary of AMA’s research here.

A few weeks ago, our local paper ran a column by L. Brent Bozell entitled “Colleges undermine student inhibitions.” Although a bit cynical, it is a helpful article written to warn parents of the dangers that their college-bound students will face. I was able to find the article online under a different title: Sex, Culture, and the College Student.

Finally, did you know that a poll conducted by Who’s Who Among American High School Students in 1998 revealed that 80% of America’s top students admitted that cheating helped them climb to the top of their class? (I learned this here.) Here’s an interesting article about what some schools in New York are doing to combat the problems of plagiarism: High Tech War Against Plagiarism is Coming to New York Schools.

65% of High School Students Stop Attending Church After They Graduate

2006-03-09T10:06:00.000-05:00

On the about CTI section of the CTI webpage, I list a statistic that 65% of high school students stop attending church after they graduate. I have gotten many emails asking where that statistic comes from.

Admittedly, the statistic isn’t as “strong” as it could be, but there is warrant for it. Recent research from George Barna shows a severe drop off in church attendance from the teen years to the post-college years. Barna says that while over half of teens attend Sunday church services, that number drops to about 31% for those in their 20s. Cleary something happens during the college years.

Kara Powell and Krista Kubiak, in their recent article “When the Pomp and Circumstance Fades” say that while there have been no real studies on the phenomenon yet, “various denominations have estimated that between 65% and 94% of their high school students stop attending church after they graduate.” They also report on anecdotal evidence that only about 25% of youth group grads “end up plugged into a church of a parachurch college or young adult ministry the year after they graduate.”

You can read more about Dr. Powell’s research here.

And, you can find other research trends concerning youth and faith at Barna’s website here.

Navigating the College Transition

2006-02-13T11:45:00.000-05:00

My good friend Susan Den Herder and I have been published by Comment, a journal based in Canada. This is very exciting. The article is entitled “Navigating the College Transition” and here is the abstract:

Mansion or mission... a serious "why am I here?" question for young adults eyeing the confusing life of higher education. And it only begs even more questions: "Who am I? What do I believe? With whom will I surround myself?"

Derek Melleby, director of the new College Transition Initiative, suggests that young people should probably wrestle with these questions themselves, before other people start answering for them. Prevailing cultural winds sell a life story where education is a rung on a ladder; Melleby argues that identity might better be rooted not in what you do, but who you are.

Click here for the PDF version.

Enjoy!

Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood

2006-02-07T15:39:00.000-05:00

I do not mean for this blog to be negative. I do realize, however, that many of the issues that face students as they transition from high school to college can have a negative tone. This blog exists to alert readers of these challenges and to be honest about the reality that students will face. Stated positively, my hope is for readers to be made aware of potential pitfalls for students so that those charged with helping students navigate this transition can take a proactive approach. One of those pitfalls is binge drinking. This is no surprise: drinking is a major problem on today’s college campus.

The memoir Smashed by Koren Zailckas has once again made national news. On January 31st it was re-released as a paperback. The book chronicles Koren’s life who, from age 14 on, began drinking everything she could get her hands on. Her trouble with binge drinking reached its zenith while at Syracuse University. CPYU research specialist, Doug West, reviewed the book when it first came out. Doug says it well, “Smashed is an engaging, insightful, disturbing, profane and despairing book, which every parent, or adult who works with teens will want to avoid, but needs to read.” (You can read Doug’s review here.)

Another thing that we may want to avoid, but should probably read, is a recent interview with the author. The interview is from the “Gothamist,” a website dedicated to all things New York, the city in which Koren now resides. You can read the entire interview here. What follows are a few parts that I found most interesting and helpful:

Smashed came out when you were only 24, chronicling a decade of excessive drinking. At what point did you decide that you had a problem, and when did you start working on the book? Did you know it was going to be a book when you began writing about your alcohol issues?
Around the time I quit drinking and I became preoccupied with this old memory of the night that I had my stomach pumped when I was 16. I hadn’t thought about that night in a long time, but suddenly I couldn’t get it out of my head. So I sat down and wrote what became that chapter in Smashed.

Around the same time, I was hearing a lot in the news about “girls of my generation” and how we were drinking younger and more than generations of women before us. The Harvard School of Public Health was releasing the findings of its college alcohol study. Time ran a cover story about female binge drinkers. And I didn’t agree with what the psychologists and the sociologists, the clinicians and the statisticians had to say, which was: “girls today are drinking more because they’re just so damn liberated, because they’re bursting with confidence and (gag) girl power, because they believe they can match boys everywhere, including the bar.” I thought they really missed the mark. In my own experience, I knew my female friends and I drank largely because it was an expression of our unhappiness or our lack of confidence. It occurred to me that I could offer a younger perspective. I wasn’t as far removed from the realities of college life.

In an interview, you said, "I always thought that drinking was a womanly thing to do." Can you elaborate on that statement? When you say "womanly," you don't mean feminine, right? Because the drinking in your book can hardly be described as girlish.
Yeah. “Womanly” feels like the right word. Because, to me, “womanly” is the sum of “grown-up” and “feminine.” Historically, I think a woman with a drink in her hand always ran the risk of being seen as masculine. But that’s changed. Especially in the wake of malternative beverages: Smirnoff Ices and Bacardi Silvers, drinks that are sweet and sudsy. In the late 1990s, alcohol companies began manufacturing and marketing “girlie drinks,” essentially. Vodka went vanilla flavored. Packaging turned pink and purple. Drinking is more feminine than it’s ever been. And by the same token, to a young person, it’s still a marker of maturity.

You grew up in a comfortable home, with a supportive family, and they were largely clueless about your extracurricular drinking and partying. Do you have any advice for parents? At what age should they talk to their kids about drinking, and what message should they be sending? Do you think there's anything more your parents could have done for you?
Yeah. Unfortunately. I made some admissions in Smashed that awed my poorparents. Before they read the manuscript, they never suspected my friends and I nicked booze from their liquor cabinet. They never knew what my best friend and I really did when we snuck out of a hotel during a family vacation. They didn’t realize how much and how often I was drinking in college, some five hours and three hundred miles away from them. I don’t think this indicates any negligence on my parents’ part. Quite the opposite. As a teenager, my parents felt overly present. They felt omnipresent. It just goes to show what a miserable sneak I was at that time. And it also speaks to how much underage drinking takes place under the cover of secrecy. In the end, I think my parents did everything they could think of to keep me sane and healthy and safe. I had a will to drink, so I found a way to drink.

Hooking Up, Sexual Harassment, College First Year, and Ghosts

2006-02-01T10:50:00.000-05:00

I have so much helpful stuff to pass along, I’m not sure where to start. I guess I’ll simply list them in the order in which they appear in the pile next to my desk (that pile that seems to grow and grow during the week… do you have one of those piles?).

The Ithacan, Ithaca College’s student newspaper, ran an article last Thursday (January 26) entitled, “Hooking up: An ambiguous intimate act that is changing the way today’s college students view sexuality.” The article is revealing and an important read if you are looking to get a handle on the sexual culture and climate of today’s college campuses. The article includes helpful statistics (78% of college students participate in “hooking up”) and offers student quotes as they look closer at the hooking up culture. The article opens with the following vignette:

“It starts with a casual conversation. Ben, who asked that his real name be withheld, may drop a hint, or receive one, as long as the connection is made. This could be a friend or new acquaintance, at a party or in the library. If all goes well, the rest is sexual history.

Naturally, he needs to be attracted to the person in question, but moreover, they both need to understand what a hook up entails.

“I kind of make sure they share my views on sex to some extent, that they know there is no emotional attachment in what we’re doing physically,” Ben said.

Ironically enough, on Wednesday of last week (January 25), The New York Times had an article with the title: “One in Four College Students Cite Unwanted Sexual Contact in Survey.” The article was relaying the findings of new research recently conducted by the American Association of University Women (AAUW). You can read The New York Times piece here (but you may need to be registered to view it) or you can read the results of the survey at AAUW’s website here. (You can read a related article from msnbc.com here.)

I must have gotten five emails last week about USA Today’s feature “In college, first year is by far the riskiest” (January 24). Would you believe that that was the only day last week that USA Today didn’t come to Walt’s house? Strange. But, of course, you can read it online here. It’s not any easy read, mind you. It deals with the reality that college freshman are vulnerable to “deaths on campus due to alcohol abuse and other causes.”

Did you know that “higher education fuels stronger belief in ghosts?” Don’t believe me? Read this.

May this quick overview of reading add to your own pile! Mine just got a little bit smaller!

STEVE TAYLOR (AND TURNER) & COLLEGE TRANSITION

2006-01-27T16:07:00.000-05:00

Today I arrived at my desk to find a print out of lyrics of a song by Steve Taylor. One of my co-workers must have thought that the lyrics were germane to my work on college transition. The song comes from Taylor’s 1987 album, I Predict, and is entitled, “Since I Gave Up Hope I Feel A Lot Better.”

(It immediately reminded of Steve Turner’s important poem, “Creed.” You can read it and re-read it here. Enjoy!)

Commenting on his song, Taylor suggests that it is “a rather satirical song (something of a departure for me, don't you think?), this one takes a look through the wide eyes of a college freshman at existentialism and nihilism, the philosophies that fuel much of contemporary American thought.”

Here are the lyrics… something to ponder over the weekend:

Enter the young idealist
chasing dragons to slay
exit the hustler
packing up his M.B.A.

Freshmen scream in a classroom
was there a sound?
first degree in the vacuum
I'm on college ground

Took a class
big fun
modern ethics 101
first day learn why
ethics really don't apply
Prof says, "One trait
takes us to a higher state
drug free, pure bliss
get your pencils, copy this:

"Life unwinds like a cheap sweater
but since I gave up hope I feel a lot better
and the truth gets blurred like a wet letter
but since I gave up hope I feel a lot better"

Top of the class sits Ernest
he was brightest and best
till the professor lured him
to the hopeless nest

Now he lives for the shortcut
like a citizen should
tells the class with a wink
"only the young die good."

He says, "Ideals? Uncouth.
fatalism needs youth
eat well, floss right
keep the hungry out of sight
save face--nip and tuck
praise yourself and pass the buck
don't forget the best advice
everybody's got a price

"Life unwinds like a cheap sweater
but since I gave up hope I feel a lot better
and the truth gets blurred like a wet letter
but since I gave up hope I feel a lot better

"While the world winds down to a final prayer
nothing soothes quicker than complete despair
I predict by dinner I won't even care
since I gave up hope I feel a lot better"

Nazis plead in a courtroom
"Pardon me, boys"
profits fall in a boardroom
did they make a noise?

Someone spreads an affliction
company's nice
someone sells an addiction
puts your soul on ice

Half wits knock heads
candidates in double beds
good guys defect
"I can't precisely recollect"
teacher's pet theory's fine
if you're born without a spine
can't you spell wrong?
sing it to him Papa John

LITERACY OF AMERICA'S COLLEGE STUDENTS

2006-01-23T17:05:00.000-05:00

While this blog is primarily dedicated to assisting those charged with the task of helping students transition from high school to college, I thought I’d pass along some beneficial new research on another transition: the transition from college to the “real world.”

The research was conducted by the American Institutes for Research (AIR), “an independent, nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization that conducts behavioral and social science research on important social issues.” The important social issue this time: the literacy of America’s college students. From the executive summary:

“Rapid changes in technology make it necessary for adults of all ages to use written information in new and more complex ways. For example, learning how to operate computers, filling out complicated tax forms, and comparing price labels when shopping for groceries are just a few of the many tasks that are important parts of our lives. Every adult needs a range of literacy skills to achieve his or her personal goals, pursue a successful career, and play an active role as a citizen. High levels of literacy also enable individuals to keep pace with changing educational expectations and technologies and support the aspirations of their families.

With the recent attention on accountability measures for elementary and secondary schools, accountability in institutions of higher education has been all but overlooked. The National Survey of America's College Students (NSACS) is a study that examines the literacy of U.S. college students, providing information on how prepared these students are to continue to learn and use the skills that they will need in the years to come.”

You can read a complete overview of the research and the findings here.

For a good introduction, Ben Feller of the Associated Press offers a helpful summary of the data at Yahoo News. Feller writes:

“More than half of students at four-year colleges — and at least 75 percent at two-year colleges — lack the literacy to handle complex, real-life tasks such as understanding credit card offers, a study found...

The results cut across three types of literacy: analyzing news stories and other prose, understanding documents and having math skills needed for checkbooks or restaurant tips.

Without "proficient" skills, or those needed to perform more complex tasks, students fall behind. They cannot interpret a table about exercise and blood pressure, understand the arguments of newspaper editorials, compare credit card offers with different interest rates and annual fees or summarize results of a survey about parental involvement in school.”

What interests me most is AIR’s focus on accountability. We always seem to be criticizing and analyzing high school education, forcing educators and administrators to produce “results,” but we often fail to press higher education in the same regard. This research is a good indicator that some things may need to change in the curricular landscape of higher learning in America. If, of course, we can agree that having literate graduates is a good thing.

For more: AIR press release.

GUIDANCE COUNSELORS STRUGGLE TO ADVISE STUDENTS ON COLLEGE

2006-01-12T19:03:00.000-05:00

Now, I know this could come across as a shameless plug for my seminar, but… USA Today recently ran an article entitled, College counseling in a crunch. The article explains that the average public high school guidance counselor only spends 28% of their time on college advising. And things could be getting worse before they get better.

It’s not the counselors’ fault here. Counselors have too much on their plate as they are called on to do everything from helping students with their schedules to providing emotional support. The burden placed on counselors continues to push college advising further down the “to do” list.

I learned some new things from the article. Do you know the average number of high school students per counselor?

Public schools: 314
Private schools: 241
(Source: NACAC Counseling Trends Survey, 2004)

And, I had no idea that:

“Some affluent families pay independent college counselors for assistance. But students who need help the most, first-generation college applicants, are in no position to pay fees that generally run well over $1,000.”

$1,000! I had never heard of an independent college counselor before.

According to the article the bad news is that although college remains an important step to getting “ahead in life,” the people that need the help the most, typically the poor and 1st generation college students, are not getting the help they need.

The good news is that there is an inner city school in Baltimore that is being looked at as a model for college advising. Baltimore City College High School has developed a system for helping their 1,350 students.

Time will tell is the counseling situation gets any better. For now, we should not assume that students are being advised adequately. Now, more than ever, parents (and youth workers) will need to be sure to take a proactive approach.

Collegeboard.com is a good place to start to learn the basics in college advising. The Getting Ready section provides everything from a glossary of college terminology to a timeline to guide you through the college admissions process.

EATING DISORDERS AND DEPRESSION

2006-01-06T08:24:00.000-05:00

In response to my last few posts on body image and eating disorders, two helpful articles were sent my way. The first article is from The Lantern, Ohio State University’s student newspaper, and deals with the relationship between college stress and eating disorders. The second comes from Brown University Psychological Services and is a tool to help diagnose depression.

The article from The Lantern, College Stress Might Cause Eating Disorders, opens with a story from a college student. Her name is Amy, she is currently a junior, and for the article she talked about her freshman year and how she suffered from bulimia nervosa. Here are a few excerpts from the article:

“Amy is now a junior at Ohio State. Amy, who requested her real name not be used, was suffering from bulimia nervosa, an eating disorder that can occur in females and males, but mostly occurs in females. By their first year of college, 4.5 to 18 percent of women and 0.4 percent of men have a history of bulimia, according to the Food and Drug Administration.Amy came to college enthusiastic about her new life. She was excited to make new friends and to just be part of a new environment. She was not worried about bulimia. However, the onset of eating disorders is often associated with a stressful life event, such as leaving home for college.”

“Dr. Lisa Werner, a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry, has experience with patients that have eating disorders. She agrees that college freshmen, leaving home for the first time, might experience an increase in the risk of developing an eating disorder because of a lifestyle change.Not only is the change in lifestyle a factor, but also the college lifestyle can lead to either anorexia or bulimia. With the increase of homework and pressure, students might find themselves desperate for control over something in their lives, including their weight.”

“With the stresses of a new life in college, residence hall roommates need to be leery of their new friends and suitemates. If a friend is restricting food, exercising excessively or sneaking off to the bathroom after almost every meal, he or she might be suffering from an eating disorder.”

The article from Brown University, Depression: Define it, Defeat it, is also written to help students be mindful of friends’ behavior. From the introduction:

“You know that your college years can be complicated and demanding. Deep down, you may be quite sure of who you are, what you want to do, or whether the choices you make from day to day are the best ones for you. Sometimes the many changes and pressures facing you may threaten to overwhelm you. So it is not surprising that from time to time you, or a friend, feel down or discouraged.

But what about those times when one's activity and outlook on life remain low for weeks and begin to affect relationships, or the ability to relax or to be productive? If you, or a friend, are facing a period like this, depression may be the cause. It may help to have a better understanding of depression.”

This useful tool also discusses “myths and facts” associated with depression. For example:

Myth: Young adults don’t suffer from “real” depression.
Fact: Depression can affect people at any stage of life, or of any racial, ethnic, or economic background.

A big thank you for those who sent me articles. Keep them coming!

HELPING COLLEGE STUDENTS FIND BALANCE

2006-01-04T17:10:00.000-05:00

As you can imagine from my last post, many of the body image issues that college students face can lead to eating disorders. Research compiled at the website of the National Eating Disorder Association indicates that:

91% of college females attempt to control their weight through dieting
35% of “normal dieters” progress to pathological dieting
20 to 25% (of those 35%) progress to partial or full syndrome eating disorders
78% of college women reported having bingeing experiences
8.2% used self-induced vomiting to control weight

(And this is not just a problem for college women. College men feel pressure to look like the latest “fashion magazine” as well. Many will spend hours in the gym trying to look a certain way.)

Author and speaker, Constance Rhodes recently emailed me:

“Something to think about… College is a huge trigger point for disordered eating. Transitioning from having all your meals prepared for you at home, to being on your own in the grocery dept. is part of it. Also, crazy schedules, pizza parties, beer fests, etc. put on the pounds, which can trigger some people into unhealthy compensatory behaviors. Binging and purging is rampant in college dorms, and can sometimes seem like a way to cope w/ new academic and social stresses. And others may find that restricting their diet becomes easier as they throw themselves into their studies.”

Constance’s book, Life Inside the “Thin” Cage: A Personal Look into the Hidden World of the Chronic Dieter is an invaluable resource for those looking to learn more about these issues. Chapter eight includes a short discussion on college transition and the challenges that can lead to eating disorders. You can read CPYU’s short review of the book here.

Constance is also the founder of FINDINGbalance.com, the first national organization dedicated to helping those who struggle with EDNOS (eating disorders not otherwise specified). The website is very helpful and provides many practical tools.

My hope and prayer is that many parents and youth group leaders begin to discuss these issues with students before sending them college. Constance’s resources equip us well for that task.

COLLEGE STUDENTS & BODY IMAGE

2006-01-02T11:05:00.000-05:00

Imagine being an 18 year old college freshman woman, with all of the uncertainties and pressures that this time in life brings, walking into a residence hall only to discover a poster of a gorgeous model with the caption: “Freshman Girls! Get ‘em while they’re skinny!” The poster makes me sick on so many levels and yet it doesn’t surprise me. There is much brokenness around issues of body image in our culture and within college student culture it is perhaps the most intense.

Trendcentral recently ran a piece discussing the need for “more realistic, positive body images in the media.” The short article included a testimony of sorts from a college student, explaining her experience. The student wrote:

“At college, all the girls eat together, and thus, exercise together. In cliques, we go to the gym, and I feel pressure to run faster and longer than my friend next to me. The girls here love to read gossip magazines (they all have subscriptions to Us and InTouch). They’ll flip the pages open to discuss who’s really pretty versus who’s just done up, who needs to gain weight versus who looks toned and fit, (I was shocked to hear Paris Hilton fits into the latter category.) There’s also a seemingly skewed perspective of what’s healthy. I offered my friend some apple juice at lunch and she refused, opting for Diet Coke, because it’s less caloric.”

You can read the rest of the short article here.

This reminded me of Brea’s comments in an article I wrote for CPYU last year on college transition. The article combined two interviews, one was with Eric Bierker of the College Transition Group and the other was with two college students, Brea and Mike, discussing Mr. Bierker’s research. During the conversation we discussed issues of personal identity and body image and Brea’s thoughts have always stuck with me. Brea said:

“It’s hard to feel beautiful when looking through fashion magazines. It is even harder at college. College is like walking through a fashion magazine 24/7. It’s difficult enough to stay on top of schoolwork, nevertheless to stay on top of what you look like in comparison to the hundreds of other young beautiful women walking around campus. It is the only time in life where you are surrounded by people your own age trying to look their best. It makes you question your own identity and self worth. It’s not easy.”

You can read the rest of the interview here.

My hope for this blog is that it starts conversation. So, here are a few questions for readers:

How have you seen students challenged in regards to body image and personal identity?

What is it about the college experience that makes this so prevalent?

STUDENTS SOUND OFF ON DRINKING

2005-12-23T16:57:00.000-05:00

USA Today has been running a few articles this “semester” on college drinking. The first major piece was in November where they ran multiple stories on “Campus Drinking: Colleges are reaching their limit on alcohol,” looking at the college drinking problem from a variety of angles. You can read a good summary and view some interesting statistics (at the bottom of the article) here. For a list of all of USA Today’s articles on college drinking click here.

Yesterday USA Today featured an article entitled “Students sound off on drinking,” where they reported on a roundtable discussion held at the University of Georgia at Athens. UGA President Michael Adams has recently gone public with his hopes of addressing the drinking problem at UGA. The roundtable was composed of six students and a reporter and readers were given some highlights of the conversation. The article is worth reading in its entirety and is not long, but here is one part of the conversation that might interest you (the “Q” is the reporter, the names are UGA students):

Q: Can parents do anything?

Harkavy: A lot of parents have no idea what the heck their kid does. A buddy of mine's mom did not think he drank until he was 21, and he got trashed so many times his freshman year. Some parents want to think their child is an angel. It's a matter of being involved and talking to your kid.

Brown: Once (students) are off to college, the decision has been made. It goes back to their relationship with their parents. Parents can have that conversation during senior year of high school, but the outcome has been determined by how they have been raised.

Fields: Most students, when they get to college, it's not their first experience with alcohol. Some start as early as 11 or 12.

Ward: A lot of the ones who didn't drink in high school are the ones to explode in the first month at college.

I was intrigued by one other comment in particular. The question was "why do students binge drink?" and here is one of the responses:

"Our culture promotes excessive drinking as normal, almost expected, when students arrive at school. Students may not even be battling external peer pressure but rather an ingrained social pressure from our society."

In the past year, I have had significant conversations with two students who told me about their "very rough" first semesters. Both of them were involved in the party scene, and really didn't want to be. Their reason for being involved: "We didn't know anyone who didn't drink." Both Christians, they were "shocked" to "discover" Christian community their second semester, freshmen year. The Christian community has given them a place where they "can be themselves" and not "feel pressure to do what everyone else is doing."

The article in USA Today combined with my recent conversations with students reminded me of the importance of finding a Christian community on campus during your first semester. It's crucial!

CTI BLOG

2005-12-22T08:03:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite things about working for CPYU is arriving at my desk in the morning to find a stack of articles to read (no really, I mean it!) that Walt, Ken, Cliff, Doug or Chris contributed to (you can meet the staff here). I often find myself thinking, “I wish I could pass some of this onto others.” Well, now I can. Now the top of my desk is public, for all to see! Consider this blog a window, where readers have an opportunity to peer into my (our) work on college transition. I like the window metaphor, because I don’t have a window in my office. Actually, I don’t really have an office. It’s more like a desk. But a very nice desk. You get the idea.

This blog will also give me an opportunity to hear from you (students, parents, youth workers) so that we can work on this difficult transition together. I’m most interested in what you have to say. (As Jerry Maguire would suggest, “help me, help you!”) CPYU has started this initiative because we believe the transition from high school to college is a crucial one for followers of Christ. May this blog be a place where we can pass along to each other what we are hearing and seeing in regards to college transition.