God on the Quad
By Naomi Schaefer Riley
$24.95, hardcover, 288 pages
St. Martin's Press 2004
Reviewed by John W. Rogers, Jr.
Director of Guidance
Lexington Catholic High School (KY)
God on the Quad by Naomi Schaefer Riley is a comprehensive study of behaviors and attitudes demonstrated by students who attend colleges and universities where religious faith is strongly emphasized. Riley spent several months doing research at 20 such campuses, interviewing scores of students, faculty, and staff about their attraction and responsibilities at these faith-based schools. The first half of the book profiles five of the 20 schools in-depth; included are:
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Brigham Young
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Bob Jones
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Notre Dame
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Thomas Aquinas
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Yeshiva.
The second half focuses on such topical issues as alcohol and drug use, sexual and courting patterns, and campus and national political issues.
In her introduction, Riley asserts that her research will be built around the analysis of these four questions:
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Why have students chosen the school?
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How does curriculum differ from “secular’ schools?
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What is life outside the classroom like?
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How will these colleges affect post-graduate choices?
Regarding enrollment decisions, Riley concludes the vast majority of students at these faith-based schools make plans to enroll and to persist freely and independently with little or no coercion from outside sources. The author’s evidence dismisses the commonly held notion that many students at these colleges are effectively forced to attend by parents or influential family or friends.
Though core curriculum and options for majors vary dramatically at these schools, Riley generally holds that religious requirements have been successfully blended with the “secular” curriculum in virtually all cases. Moreover, she contends that the academic rigor at these schools tends to be greater than at the non-religious counterparts. This assertion is based heavily on the concept that stricter discipline, typical of most highly religious schools, fosters a stronger work ethic. She also notes that many distinguished faculty have taken positions at religious colleges in order to comfortably incorporate ethics and morality components into their respective courses.
Predictably, Riley affirms that life outside classrooms at highly religious schools is significantly different from that of secular institutions. She theorizes that this behavior is at least partly a result of a greater respect for the authority of the administration and its policies at the faith-based schools. Though recreational and extracurricular options vary widely at these 20 schools, students in Riley’s research are more likely to engage in spirited discussions on values and morality, massive service projects, and squeaky-clean parties. Their counterparts on the secular side, for the most part, continue to include the staples of sex, drugs and rock and roll in their social scene. Riley acknowledges, as do many of her interviewees, that even the religious schools attract a few “rebels” who push the social envelope to the limit. These individuals are often ostracized by the mainstream students and administration and frequently feel significant pressure from the majority to conform to acceptable social norms.
Regarding life after graduation, Riley’s research indicates alumni from these schools fare well in graduate and professional education and in careers that are often lucrative, prestigious and service-oriented. In such high profile careers as medicine, law and corporate business, the author contends these graduates offer a distinctive positive quality she refers to as a “sense of vocation.” Her summary chapter includes this optimistic analysis: “Alumni of religious colleges are exactly what business and graduate schools claim to be seeking—well-rounded, engaged young men and women who want to make a difference in their community.”
Though I sometimes questioned Riley’s conclusions in God on the Quad, I feel strongly that the study contains valuable insights for those who work in religious schools or counsel students wanting to enroll in colleges where faith is the norm rather than the exception. Riley’s writing is often fresh and bold; her insights into dating patters at B.Y.U. and the racial issues at Bob Jones, for example, are eye-opening. The comments about the theocratic political climate in America may now be somewhat understated in light of the dramatic polarization that has occurred since the election and subsequent war issues, but they provide valuable insight into the way religious education may impact future politics in America. Ending with unbridled optimism, Riley suggests that the integration of serious spiritual and intellectual education may even aid in bridging the gap between the “red” and “blue” America—on that point, she is far more optimistic than I.
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