August 29, 2006

 

BYU, Reed at Opposite Ends of College Religiosity Poll

By KAT GLASS

© 2006 Religion News Service

 

Considering that 98 percent of the students are Mormon, some classrooms are converted into worship spaces on Sundays, and alcohol and drugs are banned from campus, perhaps it's not surprising that Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, received the sacred No. 1 spot on the list of schools where "Students Pray on a Regular Basis" in the Princeton Review's 2007 college rankings.

    Meanwhile, the liberal arts Reed College in Portland, Ore., where the Christian student group is called "Oh, for Christ's Sake," ranked atop the "Students Ignore God on a Regular Basis" category, according to the same rankings, which were released this week (Aug. 22).

    The Princeton Review rankings categorize schools into quirky lists such as "Dodge Ball Targets" for non-athletic schools and "School Runs Like Butter" for well-organized administrations. The lists are compiled based on students' responses to an 80-question survey.

    For the religious questions, participants were simply asked, "How religious are students on your campus?" Both BYU and Reed topped their respective lists for the fourth year in a row.

    The top 10 religious list also included evangelical hot spring Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill., and three Catholic schools: University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Ind., the University of Dallas in Irving, Texas, and Catholic University in Washington, D.C.

    Carri Jenkins, spokeswoman for BYU, said she was happy to hear the news of the most-religious designation. "We're very pleased," Jenkins said. "We do believe that it reflects the student body here at the university."

    BYU, which is affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons), requires students to take 14 credits of religion classes, translating into about one class per semester, Jenkins said. A Mormon temple is within walking distance of the campus.

    A centerpiece of the BYU education is its honor code, which students sign annually, Jenkins said. The extensive code directs students to practice academic honesty, use clean language and refrain from substances that include alcohol, drugs, tobacco, tea and coffee.

    Edward Hershey, spokesman for Reed, attributed the godless designation to the highly intellectual atmosphere and general skepticism of the students.

    "It's probably more about the willingness of our students and faculty to question everything, including religion, rather than the anti-religious fervor," Hershey said.

    Hershey said the survey actually contradicted recent trends.

    "On one level it's kind of ironic, I guess, because in fact, even though Reed has a well-earned reputation as being iconoclastic -- I think that's probably where the notion of our Godlessness comes from -- religion is a growing major here," Hershey said, noting that 34 of 287 graduates in the class of 2006 were religion majors.

    Religion also often enters the classroom, especially when students read texts in the humanities. "It's a secular place for sure that studies religion a lot," Hershey said.

    The religious designations also tend to match up with political affiliations. BYU was the No. 3 school under "Students Most Nostalgic for Reagan," while Reed received seventh place for "Students Most Nostalgic for Bill Clinton.

    "I think we see more crossover on the liberal list," said Robert Franek, author of the Princeton Review's "Best 361 Colleges."

    Alexis Plowman, a junior at BYU studying English, said religion plays into the students' academics. "You may notice that we'll use principles that we learn in the Gospels to what we learn in the classroom," Plowman said.

    One of Plowman's favorite events is an evening "BYOB" barbecue on campus. Normally BYOB tells guests to bring their own beer or booze bottle. At BYU, it means "bring your own beef."

 

    The 10 most religious colleges, according to the 2007 Princeton Review rankings:

    -- 1. Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah

    -- 2. Wheaton College, Wheaton, Ill.

    -- 3. Pepperdine University, Malibu, Calif.

    -- 4. University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Ind.

    -- 5. University of Dallas, Irving, Texas

    -- 6. Catholic University, Washington, D.C.

    -- 7. Hillsdale College, Hillsdale, Mich.

    -- 8. College of the Ozarks, Point Lookout, Mo.

    -- 9. University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah

    -- 10. Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas

   

    The 10 least religious colleges, according to the 2007 Princeton Review rankings:

    -- 1. Reed College, Portland, Ore.

    -- 2. Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y.

    -- 3. Bennington College, Bennington, Vt.

    -- 4. Lewis & Clark College, Portland, Ore.

    -- 5. Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, N.Y.

    -- 6. Eugene Lang College/New School University, New York City, N.Y.

    -- 7. Emerson College, Boston, Mass.

    -- 8. Simon's Rock College of Bard, Great Barrington, Mass.

    -- 9. New College of Florida, Sarasota, Fla.

    -- 10. Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.