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Are Catholic Colleges Leading Students Astray?

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Are Catholic Colleges Leading Students Astray? SPECIAL REPORT Are Catholic Colleges Leading Students Astray? A nationwide survey raises concerns about the impact that American colleges have on the faith and morals of Catholic students. By PATRICK J. REILLY ven while many Catholic col- leges in the United States are making exciting progress in their efforts to renew Catholic (NANCY WIECHEC/CNS) Ehigher education, the challenges faced by reformers just keep growing worse. Dozens of Catholic colleges recently hosted productions of “Vagina Mono- logues,” a vulgar play in which the les- bian seduction of a 16-year-old girl is portrayed as her “salvation.” [See side- bar.] A women’s center at Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana, funded four students’ travel to a pro-abortion leadership conference in Washington, DC—at a time when thousands of pro- life college students were finding their own way to the same city for the annual March for Life. And now comes hard I Students cross the campus of Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. data that confirms the failure of many Catholic colleges to tend to their stu- ganization of which I am president, ded- HERI compared the 38 participating dents’ spiritual needs. icated to restoring Catholic identity in Catholic colleges (including 20 four- A survey of students at 38 Catholic America’s Catholic colleges—commis- year colleges and 18 universities) with colleges—including major universities sioned HERI to analyze data on students nonsectarian four-year colleges and like Creighton, Loyola Marymount, No- at Catholic colleges who participated in other religious (mostly Protestant) four- tre Dame, and St. John’s of New York— HERI’s 2001 national survey (the latest year colleges. It also provided data for reveals that graduating seniors are for which data is currently available). Catholic four-year colleges—excluding predominantly pro-abortion, approve These findings have never been report- Catholic universities to ensure a proper of homosexual “marriage,” and only oc- ed elsewhere. comparison with the other four-year col- casionally pray or attend religious ser- lege groups—but the results indicated vices. Nine percent of Catholic students Students losing their faith no significant difference when Catholic abandon their faith before graduation. The HERI report commissioned by universities were thrown into the mix. The annual survey of college stu- CWR and the Cardinal Newman Society This was something of a surprise to me, dents, conducted by the Higher Edu- draws from a 1997 survey of incoming since I expected students at the larger cation Research Institute (HERI) at the freshmen at American colleges, and a universities to be more liberal, but the University of California-Los Angeles, is near-identical survey of graduating HERI data do not indicate any signifi- important because it provides the only seniors in 2001. We excluded responses cant variations. So to avoid confusion, useful data on Catholic colleges that cuts from students who participated only in we have not reported data from the across institutions. There simply isn’t one of the studies, thereby ensuring Catholic four-year college group. any other publicly available assessment an accurate account of how students Although there is some reason to ex- of the student experience for the 223 changed during their college experience. pect that the results from the surveys at Catholic colleges in the United States. We included non-Catholic as well as 38 Catholic colleges hold up well if the Catholic World Report and the Cardi- Catholic students, but tracked each survey had been conducted at all of the nal Newman Society—the national or- group’s responses separately. 223 Catholic colleges nationwide, the 38 THE CATHOLIC WORLD REPORT, March 2003 HERI survey was not designed to be Church teaching. The Vatican and needs of Catholic students. applied generally to all US Catholic col- the Catholic bishops have vocally The HERI study also found leges. The 38 colleges included in the opposed abortion, homosexual that 9 percent of Catholic students survey were not selected with an eye to unions, and premarital sex. If sig- at Catholic colleges leave the obtaining a representative sample of the nificant numbers of Catholic stu- Church. That is a frightening sta- whole group, and so the results are sta- dents are turning against Church tistic—even though defections tistically valid only for the schools in- teaching, non-Catholic colleges were almost twice as common at volved. (See the explanation of the HERI cannot be expected to reverse the nonsectarian and other religious survey’s limitations on page 46.) Still, ideological drift, but Catholic col- colleges. in the absence of any other comparable leges should be combating such One welcome development is material showing the performance of trends in the classroom, the cam- shown in the fact that 11 percent of Catholic schools, the survey results de- pus chapel, and the residence hall. non-Catholic students enrolled at serve careful scrutiny. And what the By and large, students graduating Catholic colleges reported con- available data do show about the 38 par- from Catholic colleges ought to verting to the Catholic faith dur- ticipating Catholic colleges is cause for have views more in line with Catho- ing their undergraduate years. alarm. The full results of the HERI sur- lic teaching, assuming that the Still, despite that influx of con- vey are shown on page 42. A few of the Church’s teaching is accurately verts, the much greater number of most noteworthy findings are: presented and lived out by college students dropping away from the • In 1997, 45 percent of incoming faculty and staff. active practice of their faith left the freshmen at Catholic colleges said • At non-Catholic religious colleges, Catholic colleges with a net 4 per- they support keeping abortion 24 percent of seniors reported cent loss in the number of practic- legal, with 55 percent opposed. much stronger religious beliefs ing Catholics enrolled. Four years later, the same students and convictions than when they • In 1997, more than two-thirds of were 57 percent pro-abortion, 43 were freshmen. Even liberal Prot- Catholic freshmen at Catholic col- percent pro-life. Similarly, stu- estant colleges are known for leges attended religious services dents’ support for legalizing ho- placing a high priority on the spir- frequently, while the remaining mosexual “marriages” increased itual development of their stu- third attended occasionally. By from 55 percent to 71 percent. Ap- dents. But at Catholic colleges, senior year, 13 percent stopped proval of casual sex increased only 15 percent of students re- attending services altogether, and from 30 percent to 49 percent. ported the same sort of spiritual nearly half attended only occa- For all three issues, the increase growth. Catholic educators should sionally. in support among students at be asking how they can achieve Similarly, only 37 percent of Catholic colleges was far more better results by emphasizing the seniors at Catholic colleges said dramatic than increases at other they prayed or meditated more religious colleges. This difference, than one hour a week. Almost however, is largely explained by a one-third of the students reported disturbing trend among Catholic (CNS/REUTERS) that they do not pray at all. students generally, rather than any particular factors at the in- Are the colleges to blame? stitutions involved in the survey. Michael James, assistant executive HERI’s analysis shows that Catho- director of the Association of Catholic lic students’ support for abortion, Colleges and Universities (ACCU), dis- homosexual unions, and casual misses the HERI survey results as hav- sex increased at roughly the same ing little importance for anyone beyond dramatic rate regardless of the participating colleges. “In terms of whether the students enrolled at a this being representative of the Catholic Catholic, nonsectarian, or other student population,” James says, “I find religious college. Support for these it difficult to make that case.” issues increased rapidly at Catho- Certainly there is no scientific basis lic colleges where most students for the assumption that the HERI data are Catholic, while other religious from 38 Catholic colleges would apply colleges with fewer Catholics re- without modification to America’s 223 ported less support. Catholic colleges. But the set of 38 col- Nevertheless, Catholic colleges leges seems sufficiently varied by size, I Students at a September 11, 2001 ought to be alarmed when most prayer service at Marquette Univer- location, and controlling religious order students thumb their noses at sity in Milwaukee. or diocese to resemble the national set, THE CATHOLIC WORLD REPORT, March 2003 39 SPECIAL REPORT CATHOLIC COLLEGES PRESENT OFFENSIVE “MONOLOGUES” hile the Church agonizes over revelations of the play glorifies sexual deviancy and the seduction of girls by priests’ predatory seduction of young men, older women. dozens of Catholic colleges in the United States At the University of Detroit-Mercy, “Vagina Monologues” were scheduled in February and March to pre- is being organized in the middle of Lent by a nun, Sister Sandra Wsent the vulgar play “Vagina Monologues,” complete with a Yost, CSJ, an associate professor of electrical engineering. At favorable reminiscence about the lesbian seduction of a 16- other colleges, faculty members are also involved in the play year-old girl. through women’s studies programs. On the Internet one can Each year, the “V-Day College
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