March 2009 Campus Ministry Update

  

The Ivy Jungle Network

Campus Ministry Update

March 2009

 

Below you will find the 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.  In addition, watch for two more emails from us later this week:

** Youth Transition Network YouTube campaign:  As part of its ongoing efforts to help high school students make a good transition to college and get connected with campus ministries, they will once again have a mass YouTube campaign this Thursday, March 19.  On Thursday we will send you an email with the video link. We encourage you to forward it to leaders and students and help get the word out on this issue.

** 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 later this week.

 

Trends in Campus Ministry, Culture and Higher Education:

Less Religious in America:  A widely reported study by Trinity College (Connecticut) shows the US becoming less religious with 15% of Americans reporting no religious affiliation.   Those without religion are the only group to have gained numbers in every state in the union.  For the last 20 years, the percentage of Americans who consider themselves Christians has continued to drop.  Denominational affiliation has taken an even greater hit.  Now more than 8 million Christians claim to be non-denominational; up from 194,000 in 1990.   The decline of religion can also be seen in the fact that 27% of the interviewees did not expect to have a religious funeral and 30% said their wedding was not a religious service.  (collegenews.com March 12, 2009)

Creating Their Own Religion:  A recent Barna update shows that Americans are more likely to create their own religious beliefs than follow an established set of beliefs from a church or denomination.  By a margin of 3 to 1, (76% to 24%) respondents said they choose from a blend of ideas to describe their faith.  This often leads to contradictory  positions.  82% of those under 25 take this approach.  Among "born again" Christians, 61% say they do so.  (Barna Update 1/26/2009 quoted in Mission America Update February 2009)

Scholarships Hit by Stock Market:  Students will soon feel the effect of the stock market drop on college and university endowments.  As invested holdings have decreased an average 24% across the country, the amount of money available for scholarships has also dropped.  For a number of schools, endowments generate funds for student scholarships, which means they will not be able to give as many or as large of grants next year.  The difference in value can mean hundreds of thousands of dollars less for students.  (AP March 12, 2009)

Stimulus Package and Higher Ed:   With more than $15 billion in increased funds for Pell grants, college students will benefit from the Obama spending bill.  How the schools will fair is a little more complicated.   Some money has been set aside for infrastructure investments and to help prevent tuition increases.  However, much of the gains will be offset by decreases in state spending for public schools.   In addition, the House bill calls for $6 billion in funds for construction projects.  The Senate version cut all such funding.   (AP February 9, 2009; Inside Higher Ed February 9, 2009)

Grades on the Rise:  Several professors have lamented the significant increase in grades over the last 15 years.  Average student GPA's have risen from 3.09 in 1991 to 3.30 in 2006.  At public schools GPA's have gone from 2.85 in '91 to 3.01 in '06.  Many professors say that students believe they are entitled to good grades for doing minimal work.  A study by researchers at UC Irvine found that a third of students believed they should get at least a B for attending lectures and 40% said they should get a B for doing required reading.  Professors also say that evaluations and websites like ratemyprofessor.com reward easy grading an punish those who are more stringent.  (Inside Higher Ed March 12, 2009; New York Times February 18, 2009 A15)

Community Colleges on the Rise:  Community colleges saw anywhere from 4% to 19% increases in enrollment for the spring semester compared with a year ago.  A number of students decided to leave four year institutions after the economy tanked at the end of the semester, trading loans and debt for more affordable classes.  Despite the swell in enrollment, many community colleges fear they may actually lose money as their budgets rely on state and federal dollars to make up the remainder of expenses not covered by tuition.  Much of that funding has been cut in the past few years. They are hoping that the new spending plan will help them make ends meet.  (AP February 9, 2009)

First Asian-American President in the Ivy League:  When Dartmouth announced Jim Yong Kim as its next university president, it became the first Ivy League school to select an Asian American as head of the institution.   Several Asian American groups have complained about the lack of representation in higher level administrative positions.  Less than 1% of all college presidents are Asian American (compared with 5.9% African American and 4.6% Latino).  14% of the most recent freshman class at Dartmouth is Asian American.  (Inside Higher Ed  March 3, 2009)

Facebook and Content Ownership:  Facebook created an outbreak of furor this past month when they announced a move that would have made all content, photos, and postings property of Facebook and not the user.  After the uproar, Facebook retreated from the position, instituted user "town hall" feedback processes and has launched a list of user values.    The content question could have had implications for colleges and other organizations with logos as those images might have become property of Facebook.  For now, the social networking site is putting emphasis on allowing users to have more input into decisions about the site.  (Inside Higher Ed February 18, 2009; cnn.com February 27, 2009)

Facebook More Like Twitter:  Facebook has rolled out another upgrade to its look by enabling real time updates from friends instead of every 10-15 minutes.  In addition, status updates have been replaced with "the publisher."  The site seems to be following in the pattern of twitter which allows users to constantly update their thoughts in 140 character increments.  (AP March 4, 2009)

 I Love College:  Just in time for spring break, Asher Roth releases the music video for I Love College – a song reinforcing what higher ed is "all about" for so many – drinking, naked coeds, and beer pong:   http://www.mtv.com/videos/asher-roth/339182/i-love-college.jhtml#id=1518072

Banning Bottled Water:  Washington University (Missouri) may be setting a trend with a campus wide ban on the sale of bottled water and forbidding the use of university funds for the purchase of bottled water.   Students pushed for the move out of concern for environmental sustainability.  They cite not only the overabundance of bottles that are consumed, but also the use of fossil fuels in the production and distribution process.  A number of other schools have contacted Wash U. to learn more about how to bring a similar ban to their own campuses.  (Inside Higher Ed February 9, 2009)

Alcohol and Sex Ads on Primetime:  Ads for hard liquor are showing up on broadcast TV again; as are primetime ads for products such as KY lubricants, not to mention an increased number of infomercials for personal enhancement on cable channels.  The move toward more air time for more taboo products comes as both broadcast and cable networks are looking for more customers.  Google and Facebook have also opened their sites for ads by liquor companies (though they claim to ad safeguards to make sure they target 21 and over users).  Marketing experts expect the trend to accelerate as the recession continues.  (LA Times February 13, 2009)

Good Samaritan Alcohol Policy:  Emerson College became the latest school to adopt a "good Samaritan" alcohol policy which promises to not punish students who seek medical attention or help friends seek emergency care when they have been drinking.   The school made the amnesty rule in part because of a survey which showed that 80% of students said disciplinary action would deter them from seeking medical help in an alcohol related emergency.  (Boston.com February 18, 2009)

Reframing College Drinking:  George W. Dowdall has written the book, College Drinking:  Reframing a Social Problem.  In it he argues that colleges need to rethink how they address the issue of college drinking.  He takes issue with the Amethyst imitative saying that lowering the drinking age has two problems:  first it impacts a lot more people than just college students as many in the 18-20 age bracket are not students.  Secondly, it will push more and more underage drinking into the high school level where 18 year olds would be of legal age.   On the college campus he looks at the strong correlation between alcohol and crime, especially sexual assault on campus.  He also looks at which schools are having success in curbing excessive drinking and what the nation could learn from their examples.  (Inside Higher Ed February 26, 2009)

Paths to Eternal Life:  65% of all Christians say there are multiple paths to eternal life.  According to the  Pew forum survey, a  majority of Christians believe other religions such as Judaism, Islam, or no religion at all can lead to salvation.   (Christian Post December 08 quoted in Mission America Update February 2009)

Passion City Church:  Louie Giglio, Chris Tomlin and Matt Redman are teaming up to found Passion City Church.  The cornerstones of the Passion events have launched the new church with monthly gatherings in Atlanta.  Read an interview with Louie at http://www.ctlibrary.com/ct/2009/february/28.17.html

Not Just on Campus – Women More Religious than Men:   The US Religious Landscape Survey by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion and Public Life confirms that women are more religious than men.  Females are more likely to affiliate with a religion (86% to 79%), say religion is important in their lives (63% to 49%, and attend worship services weekly (44% to 34%).  In addition they are more certain in their belief in God (77% to 65%) and more likely to pray (66% to 49%).  (Livescience.com February 28, 2009)

Christian Group Loses Lawsuit:  Every Nation Campus Ministry has lost its lawsuit against San Diego State and Long Beach State universities over a non-discrimination policy.  The group filed the suit in 2005 in response to the schools' policies that say membership cannot be withheld based on race, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation or disability.  The group argued the policy violated their rights to free speech, free association and religious liberty.  The judge ruled the policy does not infringe on the group's rights.  (SFGate.com February 8, 2009)

Christian Group Returns to Campus:  The Campus Bible Fellowship has been reinstated at Wright State University (Ohio) and will be allowed to meet for the remainder of the school year.  The group was barred from holding meetings on campus in January after the group refused to adopt nondiscrimination language in its constitution.   The group's organizers believe public pressure caused the university to relent.  The group contends that the policy would not allow it to maintain its identity as a group for Christians.  They also fear they will not be recognized for future years because of the policy.  (foxnews.com March 3, 2009)

God on the Bus:  Madison Transit busses have become a battle ground between atheists and people of faith.  Recent ads by the first group have had the quote from Gone with the Wind actresss, Butterfly McQueen, "As my ancestors are free from slavery, I am free from the slavery of religion."  A church group has countered with ads quoting Psalm 14:1, "The fool hath said in his heart, ‘There is no God.'  (Wisconsin State Journal, March 12, 2009)

Thousands Write the Bible:  Zondervan will complete its handwritten, "America's Bible" later this month.  The exhibit which has traveled to 90 cities allows participants to each write one verse of the Bible.   In the end, the 31,173 verses of the NIV will have been copied into two handwritten books – one bound for the Smithsonian and the other for a charity auction.  Digitized prints will also be available. Since 1978, Zondervan has sold more than 300 million copies of  the NIV Bible.  (cnn.com February 17, 2009)

March Madness All Academic Bracket:  Inside Higher Ed has once again published the NCAA Men's tournament bracket, selecting winners based on the NCAA Academic Performance Rate (see the bracket at:  http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/03/16/ncaa ).  This year's final four includes:  BYU, Kansas, Villanova, and North Carolina.  According to the nationally comparable academic scores, the Tar Heels would win it all.  (Inside Higher Ed March 16, 2009)

Facebook Addiction:  Police apprehended a Florida man who apparently stole a laptop from another customer at Starbucks after being told he could not use it to check his Facebook account.  (AP February 24, 2009)

 

*** Events, Resources and Jobs ***

National College Ministry Conference:   With the economy struggling and funding tight for many, the Ivy Jungle has decided to postpone the National College Ministry Conference until 2010.  This year, the Ivy Jungle will come to you with Regional Summits 2009.  Stay tuned for more details. 

Passion 2010 – January 2-5, 2010 – Atlanta, GA, USA - For university students, people 18-25 and their campus ministry leaders. More than simply an event, Passion Twenty Ten is another step in a journey that is all about finding true meaning as we take our places in a story that is so much bigger than ourselves. It's about trading in small dreams for a role in a grand epic that is shaping history and has no end. And it's a rare chance for tens of thousands of university-aged young people to gather from across the US and around the world to celebrate their common faith and purpose. Following a tour to seventeen cities around the globe, Passion is back with a four-day conference in the US. Join us for Passion 2010,  help us spread the word and invite students to attend. Request a promotional packet at our website and find more information at 268generation.com/passion2010 or email us at info@268generation.com. 

The Princeton Conference on Emerging Adulthood - May 14 – 16, 2009:   Come explore how the church can better engage emerging adults in a life of Christian faith.  Offered by The Institute for Youth Ministry at Princeton Theological Seminary, this conference will address ministry with young people ages 18 – 29 through the lenses of theology, psychology, and sociology.  The conference will include lectures by distinguished scholars, electives taught by experienced and innovative pastors, a panel discussion, and small groups with peers.   Presenters and panelists include Jeffrey Arnett, Rodger Nishioka, Robert Wuthnow, and Deborah Blanks.   For details and registration go to http://www2.ptsem.edu/iym/conferences

*** Resources: ***

Audio Interviews of Interest to Campus Ministers:

** 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:

Each chapter has five discussion questions.

Ideal for small groups!

Will challenge your students to live a life in such a way that God can open doors of opportunity in their life where they can experience God Moments In Time.

Read the customer reviews @ Amazon.com & BarnesandNoble.com

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.

Revival or Retreat Needs:

Please contact Thomas, a former campus minister, and current full-time evangelist and law enforcement chaplain to speak at your ministry event. He speaks with boldness and compassion as he points individuals to the Cross! He is available for one or multiple nights. Thomas@proactivefaith.org  or Cell: (405)833-7229

            Join our Facebook Group:

Please join the ProActive Faith Group on Facebook at                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 at (405)607-0722 if you have any questions.

 

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.

 

 

 

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.org or by calling the Wesley Foundation at 806-762-8749.  Please mail resume and cover letter to: Wesley Foundation at Texas Tech, Attn: Al Martin, 2420 15th St., Lubbock, Texas, 79401

 

 

The Campus Ministry Update is a free resource provided by the Ivy Jungle Network.  Please feel free to forward this email to others for whom it might be of interest.  You have our permission to use any of the information assembled, but ask that you credit the Ivy Jungle Network Campus Ministry Update as the source.

 

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