April 2009 Campus Ministry UpdateThe Ivy Jungle Network Campus Ministry Update April 2009
Here is this month's Ivy Jungle Campus Ministry Update with our usual blurbs on trends in campus ministry, culture and higher education. We also have notices on events, resources and jobs. Some highlights this time: ** New resources for Campus Ministry – Check out four new books addressing issues related to campus ministry. You can get one of them for free – see below. ** Youth Worker Journal e-version: In an ongoing partnership with YouthWorker Journal, you receive a free subscription to the electronic version of their magazine. Watch for that link next week.
Trends in Campus Ministry, Culture and Higher Education:
Booze More than Books: A recent study indicates nearly half of college freshmen spend more time drinking than studying. The survey asked questions of more than 30,000 first year students at 76 campuses. Students who said they had at least one drink in the last 14 days, spent an average of 10.2 hours drinking and only 8.4 hours studying. 70% of all respondents said they drank. 49.4% spent more time drinking than studying. (USA Today March 19, 2009) Not Looking for the Wild Ones: A study in the March issue of Psychology of Addictive Behaviors shows that most college men are not looking for wild party girls. In the study, women consistently overestimated the number of drinks they thought men would want to see their friends, dates, and girlfriends consume. Women overestimated by an average of 1.5 drinks, missing by nearly double the number of drinks they thought most men would want potential dates to drink. Overestimation also coincided with higher levels of excessive drinking. (American Psychological Association – www.physorg.com March 9, 2009) College Life on MTV: The newest reality show on MTV won't have camera crews trapsing around the University of Madison to record "College Life." Instead, the shows producers have handed camcorders to four college freshmen who are recording their lives in their first year of college. MTV knows that parties, hook ups, break ups and drama will draw the viewers. The school has distanced itself from the show and students were not allowed to film university logos, or inside classrooms or office buildings (which may also contribute to the sense of "college life" MTV looks to portray). The show claims to depict the honest struggle of transitioning to college. One of the main characters is a self described fun loving, Christian girl who says she does not drink and is saving herself for marriage. (Madison.com April 12, 2009) Porn on Campus: The University of Maryland received national attention for its planned screening of a hard core pornographic movie on camps. After the state legislature threatened action, the school cancelled the screening. However, student leaders did show excerpts from the film and hosted a discussion on free speech. Several other schools have shown such films, including UCLA which followed the event with a discussion on the adult film industry and the role of women in the sex industry. (Inside Higher Ed April 3 and April 7, 2009) Emerald Initiative: In the mold of the Amethyst Initiative that seeks to decrease binge drinking in college by lowering the drinking age, a group called SAFER has proposed making marijuana legal on campus in an effort to reduce drinking. The "Emerald Initiative" would push a "party responsibly" agenda, encouraging marijuana use over alcohol. While no data exists that suggests such a move would reduce drinking, the group says their proposal is as worthy as lowering the drinking age and deserves consideration (Inside Higher Ed April 9, 2009) Tuition Hikes Not So Bad: As the recession moves on and many college endowments have headed south, many people expected significant increases in tuition to follow. However, the increase in tuition for next school year has come in at a comparatively modest average increase of 4%. A number of schools are freezing tuition temporarily, making budget cuts to offset the difference. State schools are more mixed as many will receive less money from state governments in the coming year. Tuition increases at both public and private schools have averaged over 10% in recent years. (LA Times April 5, 2009) Recession Affecting Admissions: The economy is becoming an increasing factor in the college selection process for next year's incoming freshmen. Price tag trumps prestige for many. The wealthiest schools are increasing scholarship and financial aid, but others cannot do so and know they may lose potential students to less expensive alternatives. (CBSNews.com April 6, 2009) Facebook and Grades: A study out of Ohio State indicates that those who spend time on the social networking have lower grades than those who do not. The study is small and preliminary, but indicates that students may not realize the effect of their social connections on their studies. Facebook users studied an average of five hours a week. Non-users studied two to three times that amount. 80% of students believe that their use of Facebook does not interfere with their studies. (Informationweek.com April 14, 2009) Digital Youth: The McArthur Foundation issued a report last year on the ubiquitous use of technology by teens for all kinds of communication. Between text messages, IM's and Facebook, young people exhibit an insatiable desire to "be" with their friends. The challenge may lie in the fact that with such constant connection, many teens are losing any sense of solitude and "silence" from electronic stimuli. Teens (and college students) seem to have little or no time to simply be alone with their thoughts and spend less time simply in the company of other people. (Post-gazette.com March 22, 2009) Moms and Grandmas on Facebook: Facebook started in a college dorm and is mostly known as a place where young people to "hang out". With more than 200 million users, if Facebook were a country, it would be the 6th largest in the world. But as the social network has grown, the demographics continue to expand. Facebook now claims more than 1.5 million users who are women over the age of 55. Older generations are now the fast growing group on the site. (CNN.com April 13, 2009) New England Least Religious: Religion has always done better in the south and Midwest than in the coastal regions of the country. However, for the first time, New England has surpassed the West Coast for the highest number of people claiming no religious affiliation according to results that can be found at www.americanreligiousurvey.com . 20% of those on the west coast and now 22% of those in New England profess to have "none" when asked about their religion. The shift is remarkable because of New England's puritan heritage and long history with the church. Christianity has continued to grow numerically over the last 20 years, but has decreased in percentage of the population during that time. (LA Times March 16, 2009) Christian Legal Group Banned: The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has ruled that Hastings College of Law can deny recognition to the Christian Legal Society chapter at the school. The ruling states that under the campus open membership rule, groups must accept all people as voting members, even if they disagree with the mission of the group. Being denied recognition by the school does not mean the group cannot meet on campus. The ruling may push a case to the US Supreme Court as it is in contrast to the 7th appeals court that ruled in favor of a CSL chapter at the University of Southern Illinois in 2005. (Inside Higher Ed March 18, 2009) Missing a Biblical Worldview: Barna has released the latest results from their worldview survey, showing that only 9% of adults have a "biblical worldview" as defined by believing that absolute moral truth exists, that the Bible is totally accurate in all the principles it teaches, the reality of Satan, the sinless life of Christ, the belief in an all knowing, all loving, God who created the world and rules the universe today, and the belief that a person could not earn their way into heaven. Overall, only 9% of respondents held all the beliefs for a "biblical worldview." Those numbers are down from 11% in 2005, but up from 7% in 1995. Young adults(18-23) were least likely to hold a biblical worldview, with only one half of one percent in agreement with all of the statements. (Barna.org March 29, 2009) New Calvinists: This July marks John Calvin's 500th birthday. His ideas are as popular as ever, especially among many younger Evangelicals. In 2006, Christianity Today wrote about the increasing number of young people drawn to reformed theology. Last month Time Magazine cited "The New Calvinism" as one of "Ten Ideas that are Changing the World." (Time March 23, 2009 p. 50) A Post Christian America: In response to last month's reports on the shifts of so many people away from religion (see CMU March 2009), Albert Mohler, President of Southern Baptist Seminary, posted a grim online article lamenting the end of "Christian America". His observation is not that religion has disappeared from the American landscape, but that it has lost its position of influence as significant cultural and worldview shifts are moving away from God. 68% of Americans agree with him, believing that religion is "losing influence" in the country. Even as the percentage of Christians in the nation has declined, the numbers of Christians who identify with "evangelical" beliefs has increased. (newsweek.com April 13, 2009) Obama and the Catholic Campus: Barack Obama is the 6th president invited to speak at the Notre Dame commencement and to receive an honorary degree. However, the school has found itself at the center of controversy over the last month because many supporters, including priests and the bishop of the diocese in which the school resides, have threatened to skip the event in protest. Unhappy donors have suggested they will pull their funding. At issue is the president's stance on abortion and embryonic stem cell research, which are in direct contrast with the teachings of the Church. The issue around Obama has also sparked broader discussion of whether or not a commencement speaker must stand in alignment with a school's mission or statement of faith. (Press Telegram April 14, 2009) National Service Boom: With a rough economy and shrinking job market, more and more college graduates are joining the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, Teach for America, and other national service organizations. All three organizations report solid gains in applications over last year, including triple the number of applications to AmeriCorps. In addition to the economic situation, President Obama has pledged funding that would expand AmeriCorps from 75,000 positions to a quarter of a million over the next few years. In addition, a number of students say the election of Obama has inspired them to greater interest in public service. (newsday.com April 12, 2009) Unlikely Disciple: A new book will give an interesting "undercover" perspective on the conservative college experience. Author Kevin Roose transferred from Brown to Liberty University as a sort of cross-cultural experiment. He has chronicled the adventure in Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University. The university, which was founded by the late Rev. Jerry Falwell, has said it is taking a "mellow" response to the book, neither endorsing nor condemning the book. (Inside Higher Ed March 26, 2009) Chronicling the Life and Ministry of Bill Bright: A new book by John Turner looks at the impact of Campus Crusade founder Bill Bright on contemporary evangelicalism. Turner participated in Young Life, InterVarsity and Campus Crusade during his days as a student. He researched the book as part of his doctoral studies at Notre Dame under George Marsden. Bill Bright and Campus Crusade for Christ: The Renewal of Evangelicalism in Postwar America provides a window into an era in which evangelicalism grew with the help of parachurch organizations like Campus Crusade. He explores the impact of such groups on higher education, politics, and gender roles. He also critiques a model that borrows heavily from sales and has a tendency attribute spiritual success to purely numerical measurements. (Christian Century April 7, 2009) Hispanics Behind in College Admissions: Hispanics are the fastest growing ethnic group in a state like Texas. Now more than one third of the state's population, they are falling behind in both high school graduation rates and college enrollment. Enrollment for Hispanics has been on the rise, but at a rate that has been nearly outpaced by their general population growth. In Texas, less than 45% of Hispanic high school graduates enroll in college, a number lower than Asians, African-Americans and Caucasian students. (Houston Chronicle April 5, 2009) TCU Changes Mind on Gay Student Housing: This spring, Texas Christian University announced plans to offer special housing for students interested in gay and lesbian issues. The college has rescinded its plan, saying it will now review all of its themed housing. (Dallasnews.com April 8, 2009; Inside Higher Ed April 14, 2009) Video Game About Your "First Time": At the recent video game developers conference two women took home the top prize for winning this year's Video Game Design Challenge: to design a game about losing one's virginity. The game, called "Our First Times" is designed for women. It includes the design of a date that will culminate in going "all the way" for the first time. Players pick out clothing (points for easy removal), shower, shave, go to dinner, and even choose the mood music for the event. The game includes tasks such as not falling off the top bunk if set in a dorm and picking out condoms. It even concludes with calling one's best friend (making sure to not accidentally dial grandma) to report on the deed. They creators envision the game on the Nintendo Wii or as an app for the iPhone. (Cnn.com March 27, 2009)
*** Resources: *** New Resources: Search Google Books for Youth Ministry and you get nearly 8,000 titles. Campus ministry searches yield only a small fraction of that number. This month we highlight four new titles with relevance to campus ministry. Each book comes from a different context, but with information beneficial to anyone in campus ministry.
** Join the Ivy Jungle Network Group on Facebook** http://www.new.facebook.com/group.php?gid=13424091882 Resources from ProActive Faith for your campus ministry:
God Moments In Time will challenge your students to live a life in such a way that God can open doors of opportunity in their life that will change the direction of their live or impact eternity. Each chapter has five discussion questions, which makes this book great for small groups. Order 20 copies or more for the bulk price of $5.00 each CRUNCH Time A five-session evangelism resource written for students on the collegiate campus. This resource is newly packaged on one CD-ROM. You will be able to print as many copies of the booklets as you need for your students and leaders. Crisis Moments Seminars will train your students how to respond to a crisis (Biblical Response to a Crisis, Death, Hospitalization, Personal Loss, Evangelism through a Crisis). This seminar is great to a retreat setting. Join our Facebook Group ProActive Faith Group @ http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=30097018073 Visit our website www.proactivefaith.org to discover how these resources will impact the lives of your students and their campus. You can also call our office. Office: Free shipping when you enter ivy jungle in the discount code box. After you place your order you will receive a personal call from our office to confirm your order before any charges are made to your credit card. Why Faith Makes Sense: Reasons You can Believe God is Real helps students see the rational behind the Christian faith. Author Will Davis Jr., who also wrote the Pray Big book series, explains why Christians don't have to stop thinking in order to believe. The book uses biblical teaching, story telling, and humor to show students how much it makes sense to believe in God, and how a person literally has to stop thinking to reject God. Why Faith Makes Sense addresses such topics as the mystery of God, the revelation of God through nature, evolution and humanism, the Bible, and the exclusivity of Christ. It's the perfect tool for Bible studies and small groups, skeptics' discussion groups and even apologetics classes. To learn more and to read an excerpt, go to willdavisjr.com. Why Faith Makes Sense is available at Amazon.com, Revell Books, Barnes and Noble, and Christianbooks.com. From Jay-Z to Jesus: Reaching & Teaching Young Adults in the Black Church offers the insights and expertise of authors Benjamin Stephens III and Ralph C. Watkins (author of The Gospel Remix: Reaching the Hip Hop Generation), and also features the words of young adults themselves which serve as testimony to their spiritual longing and critique of the aging church's ministry. Cheryl L. Walker, Director of African American Ministries for General Board of Discipleship, United Methodist Church, recommends the resource, noting, "From Jay-Z to Jesus offers a common sense approach with practical applications on how to really engage young adults in ministry." And the Christian Booksellers Association found, "From Jay-Z to Jesus will help the reader build an effective ministry to young adults that will minister to their needs as well as disciple them to be leaders in the church and community. Every leader in the church should read this book." From Jay-Z to Jesus retails for $15.00. To order, call Judson Press at
Fellowships for College Graduates: The John Jay Institute is awarding academic Fellowships for 2009 to college graduates interested in exploring the nexus of religion and public life. Fellowships entail an academic residency at the Institute in Colorado Springs followed by an externship field placement in a public policy organization. For more information please visit: www.johnjayinstitute.org
*** Jobs: *** Position Opening Associate Director of Wesley Foundation at Texas Tech University: The Wesley Foundation at Texas Tech is a vibrant campus ministry on a campus of 28,000 college students. We are in search of an Associate Director. The associate will take an active role in raising up and training a new generation of Christian leaders. This person will focus on connecting with high school students before they arrive on campus as well being the overseer of Freshman and Sophomore ministries. The Associate will also work alongside the Director and a second Associate with the leadership team of the Wesley. We are in search of a person who has a heart for seeing young adults grow in Christ. Applications will be accepted until March 31st. Contact the director, Al Martin, at al@ttuwesley.orgor by calling the Wesley Foundation at
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