College life may strain religious faith
Chris Richelderfer, biology ' major at Mount St. Mary's
College in Maryland. "I used to be a lot more religious... I
think that since I turned 18, and wasn't forced by my parents into going to church,
I have become more skeptical about religion in gener
al"
He explained that he believes in God, but he
is not sure if he is a devout Catholic anymore. "I think
it's a stage everyone goes through in which they're not
quite sure what to believe."
According to the March 2003 Johns Hopkins
Newsletter, making the transition from high school to
college is difficult for many people. "Dealing with liv
ing in a new city, living in the dorms, taking college
classes and meeting new friends sometimes puts
church at a much lower priority," wrote Peter Zou.
Zou said students don't want to put forth the
effort to adjust to yet another drastically different
aspect of their life, so they drop religion. Others such as Richelderfer said they
only went to church at home because their parents made them.
However, some students say faith has played a crucial role in their life.
"Without it, I would not be able to cope with the daily stresses of life including ...
schoolwork, friends, family and finances," said Jen Anderson, elementary educa
tion student at Penn State Harrisburg (PSH). "When everyone else was stressed, I
turned everything over to God "
The Associated Press
celebrates Jewish Herttage
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Jewish culture and music were on display last Monday
in the Gallery Lounge. Penn State Harrisburg's Diversity and
Equity Committee sponsored the
showing of "In the Fiddler's
House," featuring world famous
virtuoso violinist Itzhak Perlman.
ti This month the committee is
"Celebrating Jewish Heritage."
Perlman took viewers to Krakow, Poland,
which once boasted a large Jewish population. In a
humble courtyard, he discussed the roots of Klezmer
music with other Jewish musicians. Klezmer is a
Hebrew word meaning "instruments of song." Perlman
then brought his talent to a group that featured a stand
up bass, clarinet, and an accordion for a lively "jam ses
sion."
Actor Fyvush Finkel, most recently of the Fox television series "Boston
Public", appeared in the video and lent his humorous lyrical stylings to a backdrop
BY RACHEL SHEPHERD
Capital Times Staff Reporter
Amid the challenges of classes, part-time jobs, extra
curricular activities and a social life, is there any degree of
spiritualism in a college students' life? Some say they have
neither time nor interest, however others say without religion
they would have no meaning in life.
"Religion plays a pretty active role in my life," said
reported that examples such as Anderson's are com-
BY ROB TRISHMAN
Capital Times Staff Reporter
monplace as students are turning to religion to find meaning in their lives. Both
secular and church-affiliated colleges report rising use of campus centers and
increasing attendance in religious activities.
"It makes your college experience complete," said Jennifer Rogers,
French major at the University of Maryland. "You have your studies, you have
time to go out with your friends, and you have God."
"Interest among students in the offerings of churches, mosques, syna
gogues, and temples may reflect the increasing complexity of society and the spe
cial challenges of modern students' lives," wrote Raju Chebium, Associated Press.
Student loan debt, family separations, and war times are just a few mod
ern problems students face.
Kim Morda, sociology major at Harriburg Area Community College,
HACC, said her family difficulties have led her to God.
"Before recently, I simply went through the motions of
church," she said. "But after being sent to a retreat it
brought on an entirely different meaning in my life."
However, not everyone has turned to God due to mod
ern complexities. "My parents divorced when I was 10
and since that time, we stopped attending church regu
larly," said Laura Baron, communications student at
PSH. "Since then, I barely have attended church...
except for funerals and an occasional holiday."
Baron said that although she doesn't go to church fre
quently, she still has most of the beliefs she was brought
up with. "I don't think attending church is all that neces
sary."
However, some are hopeful that trend may change.
"Students are hungry for religion because many of them were raised without it,"
said Vincent Krische, a chaplain and director of Catholic Campus Ministry at the
University of Kansas at Lawrence. "I think there has been a failure in passing on
meaning and value, he said. "When we fail to pass them on, something internally
inspires people to search for them."
Morda, who is now a youth minister, ascertains that God can find anyone.
She attempts to stay active with the church, despite having "fallen" a couple of
times. But, she said, "God is always there to help me back up."
of Klezmer. Finkel was hearkening back to his childhood days of Yiddish vaude
ville comedy in Brooklyn.
Perlman then met up with pianist Leopold Kozlowski, who was described
as "the last Jewish musician living in Poland." They lamented the fact that the
Holocaust of World War II decimated most of the Jewish population of Krakow,
and that there are so many beautiful synagogues but no people to fill them. "We
can't get all of our people back, but we cannot forget,"
Perlman said. "Life is a gift."
Perlman and Kozlowski then teamed together for a
moving piece of music that reflected that lament but also
provided comfort. "When you're dealing with music,
you're dealing with the soul of a society," Perlman said.
"Klezmer music is the soul of Jewish society." The film
ended with another lively performance by Perlman and
the band "The Klezmatics" in New York City, as well as
a quote flashing on the screen, "In the fiddler's house,
everyone dances."
"In the Fiddler's House" is available for checkout
in the campus library. The next cultural presentation will
be on May 1 at noon, featuring Asian/Pacific-Americans. Committee member
Donna Howard said that the series will resume in September 2003, which is
dedicated to Hispanic culture