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Spirituality important to university students
By Angela Palacios
The South Texan |
|
When Nina Joiner was a student at Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK), religion and one’s spirituality were taboo topics of discussion.
Thirty years later, married to a permanent deacon and serving as director of TAMUK’s Catholic Student Organization (CSO), Joiner is a witness to the rising importance spirituality has on university students in the recent years and the changes since her own days at a student’s desk.
“I think that these kids are searching for something especially when they are away from home and we should be able to furnish it for them - a home away from home,” Joiner said.
Joiner’s observations point to a national trend that indicates college students place great significance on their spirituality
According to a study conducted from 2003 to 2007 by the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) housed in the Graduate School of Education & Information Studies at University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA), university students view spirituality to be very important in their personal development and professional behavior.
The on-going national study titled, “Spirituality in Higher Education,” was first administered in fall 2004 to 112,232 entering college freshman at 236 campuses throughout the United States.
The study found that 2/3 of the students surveyed believe that it is essential that their university experience should enhance self understanding, prepare them for responsible citizenship and provide for their emotional development in which spirituality plays a high level of importance.
“Regardless of their faith, or lack thereof, students tended to view spirituality as an integral, ‘every day’ part of one’s life that encompasses ‘emotional feelings’ and an ‘individual connection’ to ‘an intangible something larger than yourself,’” director of Spirituality in Higher Education Research Project & Associate Director of the Office of Undergraduate Evaluation and Research, Jennifer A. Lindholm said.
Lindholm, one of 3 educators conducting the study, found that secular colleges and universities are typically grounded in the saying “know thyself” but then overlook facilitating the student’s advancement in the realm of self-understanding.
“Students often do not feel comfortable “exposing” such aspects of their experience within environments where they are not entirely certain that their perspectives will be validated and that their sentiments will be respected. For the most part, however, students are open to the idea of engaging in conversations about the spiritual aspect of their lives within campus settings in which they feel “comfortable,” Lindholm said.
The study also showed a needed involvement of student affairs personnel in the development of this realm.
“For spirituality to have a truly ‘authentic’ place in campus life, its fundamental components must also be reflected in the core values, beliefs, and commitments of academic affairs personnel,” Lindholm said.
“Our shared hope as a research team is that the insights, understanding, and dialogue generated through this ongoing research and related efforts will provide a broad foundation for associated student, faculty, staff, administrator, and institutional development initiatives that are aimed at promoting integrative personal, educational, and professional development experiences.”