Friday, August 28, 2009
Cambridge, England, reminded Charles Goldberg, Chicago senior, of his move to Lawrence four years ago when he arrived there this summer on a study abroad program.
It did not matter that the old, intricately carved stone steeples or large open grass meadows didn’t really resemble Jayhawk Boulevard. His feelings — initially isolation and then comfort when he found the Chabad Jewish Student group — were exactly the same.
Jon Griffith, Leavonworth senior, and Grant Smith, Salina junior, take down contact information for incoming freshman at the Campus Crusade barbecue Monday. The barbecue gave new students an opportunity to get involved before the semester starts. Campus Crusade for Christ also informs freshman of their group through helping them move into the residence halls.
“Especially when they figure out they’re on their own,” Goldberg said. “People need something to attach to, an anchor, frequently religious.”
Several faith-based student groups are making efforts in the first few weeks this fall that vary from informational booths to free dinners to reach out to new spiritual students.
Rabbi Zalman Tiechtel, of the Lawrence Chabad Jewish Student Group and a member of KU Religious Advisors, said he had noticed more college students such as Goldberg who chose to seek out groups of faith at the University each year.
“So much of college life is stressful,” Tiechtel said. “When a student engages in a spiritual experience, it’s a way to relax and level the tension.”
The University has 43 registered religious groups, said Aaron Quisenberry, associate director of the Student Involvement and Leadership Center, and most of those groups have advisors who also serve on the KU Religious Advisors council.
Teichtel said the council printed a card with all religious groups on it and met monthly to talk about improving student life.
“We serve as guideposts,” Teichtel said.
One of the groups represented in KU Religious Advisors, Campus Crusade for Christ, or CRU, began spreading the word to new students about its programs by helping new students move into their residence halls, said Emily Schuster, Larned senior and secretary for the group.
Resources for exploring groups of faith on campus:
1.The KU A-Z Online Directory.
a. The KU online directory, for the first time this fall, has links to informational pages on every religious group on campus, said Aaron Quisenberry, associate director of the Student Involvement and Leadership Center.
b. Students can also search “religious” under “category,” and all 43 registered religious groups on campus will appear.
2. KU Religious Advisors.
a. All advisors in this council should carry cards that list all faith-based groups that are registered with KURA. Regardless of their faith, they can help direct students to a group that best fits the description the students are looking for.
b. Students can also visit the KURA Web site at: http://groups.ku.edu/~kura/
Schuster said she remembered feeling unsure about which religious group she should join when she was a freshman because there were so many choices.
“My roommate and I had grown up in the church, but it was kind of difficult to know where to start,” Schuster said. “Different groups have different focuses. Finding which one you fit into best is the biggest struggle.”
She said she felt more comfortable choosing CRU after two of its members helped her move into the residence hall her freshman year.
“My parents were blown away,” Schuster said.
Ala Abdel-Halim, Tulkarem, Palestine, pharmacy student and exiting president of the KU Muslim Student Association, said he thought many new students used the Internet to search for the right religious group.
“We have a Web site,” Abdel-Halim said. “That will help a lot, but still there’s some students that won’t know about our group, and we’re trying our best to reach those people. We are hoping to create the environment to feel they are not alone and give them support they need, almost like creating an environment so they feel like they are home.”
Home was exactly how Goldberg described the sense he felt when he found the Chabad Jewish Student groups both in Cambridge and in Lawrence four years ago. Goldberg said he joined the Chabad Jewish Student Group in Lawrence with several of his Jewish Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity brothers after the center on 19th Street opened the spring of his freshman year.
“I felt like I had found not just a group of friends but a family,” Goldberg said. “It was a godsend.”
Goldberg will stay at the University for an extra semester to graduate in December with a Jewish Studies minor in addition to his psychology degree. He said the Chabad Jewish Student Group was a large part of that decision.
“College is a very transitional time,” Goldberg said. “A lot of people spend time with introspection and finding themselves. It’s nice to have a group of people who understand where you’re coming from.”
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Comments
Religious groups try for more members
"we represent an open-minded view toward religion as a whole, discussing all topics and allowing for a world view on religion"
I don't believe that. Unless another anti-religious group has sprouted up on campus, the group you're talking about is largely intolerant of any religion that doesn't worship spaghetti.
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