Although Nicholas Aoki’s family only lives 10 minutes away from the U, he still moved into the freshmen dorms. It was a time to move out of the house and to explore things on his own, he said8212;for instance, his religion.
When missionaries used to ask the vocal performance major what his faith was, he would politely tell them Buddhist. Although half of his family believes in Buddhist teachings, he wouldn’t necessarily self identify with the religion.
Now that he is in his first year of college, Aoki is considering exploring the faith of his upbringing on his own. He also plans to visit the Buddhist temple in downtown Salt Lake City.
For some students, graduating from high school also means a graduating from their church and religious community. As they leave home to go off to college, they are given an opportunity to define themselves as adults, which includes what they believe and practice. This often means choosing a place of worship and community for their faith, if they choose to continue it.
“I have a lot of friends who stick to their faith when they go to college…most people do,” said Andy Davies, an agnostic freshman in pre-computer science.
In order to encourage that choice, student groups make it a priority to reach out to these incoming students and offer them an opportunity to continue their faith in a new community.
The Muslim Students Association, a student group that meets in the Union Den every Friday afternoon at 1:30 for prayer, thrives with incoming freshmen each year. Last year, around 60 new students joined the group, said adviser Mohanad Mossalam. Many of them, as well as the regular membership, are international students from the Middle East. Unlike Christianity’s variations and denominations, incoming Muslim students have only one group on campus to call theirs. It’s their one place to go, Mossalam said.
Groups such as the Intervarsity Christian Fellowship and the Korean Christian Student Fellowship organized a free barbecue outside the Residence Halls on Aug. 26 to attract students.
Intervarsity also set up a booth inside the Heritage Center and the Union to provide information and membership for any curious students looking for a continuation of their Christian faith. About 80 to 85 percent of all students who join or sign up for more information about Intervarsity are freshmen, spokeswoman Teresa White said.
The day before those groups held their barbecue, the St. Catherine of Siena Newman Center recruited 11 freshmen of their own at the same location, said Carla Zilaff, the center’s campus minister. The new members of the Catholic institution’s student group accounted for more than a third of the attending freshmen.
One look across the TRAX line on the south side of campus is clear evidence of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ priority to encourage students to continue in their faith during their college experience. Of the approximately 7,000 students who are involved with the LDS Institute of Religion, at least one-third of them are freshmen, said Associate Director Gary Poll.
Paige Smith, a freshman in business, said she wants to follow in her sister Natalie’s footsteps. Like her, Smith is going to take free classes at the Institute this semester and plans on joining an LDS sorority. Smith wants to continue her faith and grow stronger in it, through college and beyond, as she defines it as her own, she said.
Chris Parkin, a freshman working on a triple major, feels the same way about his LDS faith. A former Sandy resident who now lives in the Residence Halls, Parkin said he wants to take higher education as an opportunity to live on his own and define himself.
“Some of my friends who are my age don’t stick to (their faith) as much…but I want to,” he said. In order to continue his connection to his LDS faith, Parkin will also attend the free religious classes at the institute.
“When (freshmen) go off to college, they want something familiar, and we can be that,” Poll said.
Christian preacher Evan Schaible is one of many preachers that come the campus yearly to proselytize. For many students coming to college allows them the chance to explore who they are, this often includes religious beliefs.