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Targeted Professionals' Meeting for
Satisfying Students’ Needs for Religious and Spiritual Life 

Hosted by Mt. Holyoke College on September 27, 2002

Meeting Summary:

Hosted by Rev. Andrea Ayvazian, the Meeting was the fourth in a series designed to extend interest in promoting high achievement and satisfaction among students of color.  The Meeting goals were the following:

• Share information that allows each college to develop an Action Plan for their campus

• Review “Best Practices” for each area of student support services

• Potentially develop group projects to allow cross-institutional cooperation

The five-hour meeting opened with a presentation by keynote speaker Rev. Dr. Leon Burrows, Protestant Chaplain at Smith College, and Protestant Advisor at Amherst College.  His powerful presentation highlighted the purpose of academic institutions operating in the enlightenment tradition. While these institutions promote critical thinking and deconstruction, and a faith perspective may not be open to being deconstructed.  Many students of color at liberal-arts institutions are operating in an alien environment, and if their religious identity is not recognized, the environment is even less supportive.  Students’ faith perspectives may be shaped by orthodoxy, he or she may not allow someone from the majority culture to deconstruct his or her faith. 

Citing the concept of “pre-critical naivete” in which one does not question certain religious faiths, and “post-critical naivete,”  Rev. Burrows emphasized that students need a support system to process this transition.  Students of color from a religious background may not have the perspective to negotiate this, while they have the faith to be successful.

Reconstruction is required for students of color in the setting of deconstruction.  Students may hold on to an infantile faith because the academy deifies rationality.  Students may experience this as a deconstruction of their personhood.  A post-critical perspective allows one to go out into the world and speak intellectually about their faith/religion. 

The university is the setting in which students can deepen their religious faith while broadening their understanding of diverse religions.

Discussion followed Rev. Burrows’ presentation, focusing on the reality of deconstruction and means of reconstruction, and the potential contributions of those involved in religious life.  The following are selected comments from participants: 

• In teaching a religious course, one participant felt the need to reassure students of color them that she was not there to change their tradition.  The academic approach to traditional religious texts caused students to ask, “This is what I’ve known all my life, how do I change?”…deconstruction and reconstruction are needed.
• has seen deconstruction across the board, and with students of color in particular, reconstruction seems haphazard, but may not happen, it is not inevitable…how do we intentionally bridge deconstruction and reconstruction?
• In light of the recruitment crisis for students of color, what is the contribution of religious services in a secular institution?  Administrators and presidents have to rethink the mission, why would students want to come if they only experience deconstruction/destruction?  Feels challenged to be involved in retention and admissions.
• Offering an Afrocentric service once a month in response to the all-white Sunday services, this college chaplain realized that all students came to this service, but African-American students still did not attend the other Sundays.  As a progressive protestant minister she could not reach African American students because of her acceptance of same sex marriages, etc.
• Students on Shabbat can’t get transportation on Saturday (or won’t drive on Saturday), new Hillel house on campus has changed the face of Jewish life on campus, from 15 to 50 in regular attendance, they have a home, also attracting non-Jewish students and faculty.
• Without the resources to provide culturally specific services, this chaplain developed relationships with individual students of color and international students, talks about their home church, their pastor’s name, and keeps in touch with them.
• By partnering with local houses of worship the campus can create a community that brings disparate traditions together.  The campus works to acknowledge all religions and their holidays.
• The presuppositions of the academy conflict with the presuppositions of the church, in this setting reconstruction is a painful choice, one may need to lead a “double life”
• Confirmed the experience of living a double life having experienced traditional Catholicism, different practices can demolish the things you believed in.  How can you feel comfortable in yourself and not be apologetic?  How do you address the concerns of “invisible minorities”, such as Muslims who face an attack from beyond the college community, larger society?
• Need to affirm with professors that they have an “A+” with deconstruction, and a “D+” with reconstruction.  How do we get that message to faculty?
• Cultural fluidity is a skill that chaplains are charged with developing…promoting pluralism.  Blended workshop services using inclusive/non-patriarchal.  are attending, being offer students of color a way to process the multiplicity of Christian traditions.  Chaplains set the tone for campus inclusiveness, they are a valuable resource.
• We get students of color on campus and forget about them, people charged with their needs are transient.  Chaplains can be active with the admissions process, go to high schools and be in contact with the mentors of students of color.
• The Jewish chaplain can bridge gaps.  Jews are also a minority on some campuses.  May ask themselves how can I be a conduit, what role can I play?  Students tend to congregate together to be safe, who is responsible for making it safe?
• The project of wanting to support students of color grows out of post-enlightenment approach to education, but it unravels itself when conservative religious groups join are exclusive.
• Religious education stops in 6^th grade with confirmation, thereafter people become defensive when religion is challenged, their development is stunted.
• Started multi-faith council for 9 religious groups, but find it is dominated by the “left”, are they serving the right?
• Self-identification is a courageous step: discussion is about maintaining integrity within a community
• Having made a commitment to help people connect with their faith traditions, some campuses may discover the larger challenge, for example, Hispanic populations considered to be Catholic, those who are not feel left out.

The meeting was attended by Amherst College, Bates College, Bucknell University , Colby College, Lafayette College, Mt. Holyoke College, Smith College, Trinity College, Vassar College, and Wesleyan University.  The group may schedule its second meeting during the All-Consortium Conference, to be held on January 15-16 at Trinity College.

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