Before junior Adil Zaman came to college, he said saying prayers five times a day during his Muslim upbringing was more of a holy nuisance than a religious duty.
During high school, Zaman said, his Islamic faith took a backseat to girls, friends and trying to fit in. That changed when he stepped onto the campus: Outside the reach of parental pressure, it was suddenly a choice whether to practice his faith – not a requirement.
“When Ramadan came” during freshman year, Zaman said, “I promised myself to do things right.”
Zaman is far from alone when it comes to faith and spirituality among college students. Although it was once thought that previous generations of devout college students risked eroding their faith after being exposed to secular academic communities, a new study conducted on the campus shows otherwise.
For all the liberal viewpoints so commonly espoused in the university setting – evolution, gay rights and existential philosophy included – many students are flocking to pews and prayer rugs. More than 63 percent of students here reported attending a religious service frequently or occasionally and 55 percent said that they pray.
Only a tiny number of the 524 randomly selected students surveyed – just 6 percent – said they don’t consider themselves on a “spiritual quest.”
The results of the survey surprised Office of Campus Programs Director Marsha Guenzler-Stevens, who conducted the survey last year with graduate student Andrew Publicover.
“More students talk about faith than what we would’ve anticipated, more students pray more than we anticipated and more students discuss religion,” Guenzler-Stevens said. “There is a growing interest in faith” on the campus.
Paolo Ugolini, who leads the Disciples of Christ campus ministry, said that the popular view that secular campus life is a powerful influence that leads religious students astray is a mischaracterization.
“When students leave their homes and no longer have a family atmosphere to prop up their beliefs, I think many students simply find that their ‘faith’ was more a product of the home culture,” Ugolini said. “It was not really a faith of their own to begin with.”
But it isn’t just students who were brought up religious that are finding a spiritual awakening during their college career, Guenzler-Stevens’ survey shows.
Among the randomly selected students surveyed, 28 percent reported their spirituality became stronger or much stronger after they arrived. Among chaplain-led groups of students, the number was 54 percent; among student-led religious groups, 73 percent said their spiritual beliefs grew stronger.
The reasons for an increased spiritual awareness on the campus isn’t yet clear. Guenzler-Stevens said that nationally, people turning to religion became more common in the wake of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. And the study shows that about a third of randomly surveyed students “find meaning in times of hardship.”
Junior family studies major Sarah Breen, who before college was a self-described believer in “science and evolution, but never in God,” was one of those who found her spirituality after tragedy.
One night during her senior year in high school, Breen said, “My friends and I were having a sleepover and we discussed the existence of God. Then one of my friends had a brain aneurysm in front of us and died.”
“That night I realized that there is something more at work than molecules working together,” said Breen, who converted to Catholicism last Easter. “Life is not just randomness. There is something more.”
Several university chaplains contacted for this story agreed that because college for many people is a time of intense personal growth, those pondering spiritual questions often gravitate toward vibrant communities of faith that help cultivate a religious identity.
Jessica Schulte, the Baptist chaplain and an ’03 alumna, said that she used her time in college to “redefine” herself. But rather than leave her faith behind, she decided to get serious about Bible studies and worship.
“For a lot of people this is the time of life you figure out who you are and who you are going to be,” Schulte said. “For me it was a time to own my faith and understand why I believe what I do.”
Guenzler-Stevens said in the past few years, her office has seen an increase in the number of student-initiated faith-based groups on the campus, as well as in traditional chaplain-based observance.
Two of the largest religious groups, Jews and Catholics, have seen dramatic increases in religious piety amongst students. Hillel director Ari Israel described growth among the Jewish community as “explosive” – so much so that Hillel has outgrown its space.
“Just on our meal plan, we’ve seen an increase from 250 students to more than 600 this semester,” Israel said. “On Friday night Shabbats, it’s standing-room only.”
Though the college years can be a spiritual challenge, junior psychology major Mike Davis said spirituality is a personal choice.
“It all comes down to one thing: what you decide to let occupy your time,” Davis said. “We all have the free will to ‘go with the flow’ and do whatever feels good … we have the free will to seek the truth and question what our purpose is on this planet.”
For Zaman, God was his choice. While he walked to class, Zaman said he used the time to reflect on his life and the mistakes he had made. One day, after reading an Arabic-language Quran, the words moved him to tears even though he didn’t understand them.
“I felt like I had disappointed him but that day I felt connected to God,” Zaman said, who is an executive board member of the Muslim Student Association. “It was the first time I felt aware of God, like he was with me.”
Zaman said God drives him now and each day he prays he feels closer to God.
“The more religious you get, the more God helps you focus your life.” Zaman said.
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