FAITH ON CAMPUS

July 26, 2012Academics & Vocation

INFOGRAPHIC: Students and Cheating

How big of an issue is cheating for your students?

Now let me rephrase that — how many of your students would say that cheating is a big deal?

In a culture that esteems success and achievement, while having little to say about character and integrity, some of the statistics featured in the infographic below may not be all that surprising.

And although this infographic focuses on the (relatively small) differences between cheating that occurs in online classes vs. on campus classrooms, without any regard for religious or moral underpinnings, we must believe that the students in our ministries fit all-to-comfortably within these statistics.

July 24, 2012Academics & Vocation

Three Practices for Campus Ministers Courtesy of the Rolling Stones — Part III

One of the themes that becomes very clear, very quickly, when reading Life by Keith Richards is that the Rolling Stones never set out to be an epic, culture changing rock n’ roll band. They were deeply influenced by the Chicago blues (Muddy Waters, etc), and that is, in many ways, how they still view themselves to this day: a Chicago blues band from London.

Not that they didn’t have ambition. They wanted to be a great band. But they had no idea what they were getting themselves into.

When students show up on campus as freshmen there are some who just want to party, and a few others who are there to get a degree and get on with it, but the majority of students come with significant dreams and aspirations.

July 19, 2012Big Ideas & 'Best Of'

[INFOGRAPHIC] Memory Retention and the Forgetting Curve

Do you struggle to remember things?

I know I do. And remembering — especially things like names — seems to be an increasingly challenging task for me.

They go in one ear — and out the other. And with another school year right around the corner, I need help!

According to this infographic, the key is in the reviewing…

July 17, 2012Spiritual Formation, The Campus Minister

Three Practices for Campus Ministers Courtesy of the Rolling Stones — Part II

At the heart of Christian theology lies the idea that God is one. And if God is one (Deuteronomy 6:4), then the implications are astounding, with, perhaps, the largest being (to borrow a phrase from Richard Rohr) that “everything belongs”.

Many of us live with a bifurcated (or muti-furcated…just made up a word) world. College students are bombarded with this constantly. Whether it be sacred vs. secular, personal vs. public, on-line vs real-life, dualism abounds.

July 12, 2012Spiritual Formation, Student Culture, Trends & Issues

Be Still and Know: Helping the Freedom-Seeking Freshman Slow Down and Experience the Lord

Artist David Arms uses the image of a hummingbird to symbolize humans, and I would dare to say that a freshman in college is like a hummingbird drinking a five hour energy drink.

Arms says we are like hummingbirds because we are in perpetual motion.

We never slow down!

To an eighteen-year old, we add that perpetual motion to the thrill of freedom in a whole new world, and suddenly the hummingbird is chugging that five hour energy in order to put motion in hyper drive.

July 10, 2012Student Culture, Trends & Issues

Practices for Campus Ministers Courtesy of the Rolling Stones — Part I

Friendship is a diminishing of distance between people. from Life p. 312

In my work with students, the two refrains I hear again and again go like this:

1) I want more friends

2) Community is hard

Who doesn’t want more friends? Certainly a major reason students attend school is to ﬁnd connection, meet new people, and develop long lasting friendships.

But, community is hard. Most of the students I work with attend Boston University, which presents a unique environment. The school is embedded into Boston, stretching across two miles of the city, while running parallel to the Charles River.

July 2, 2012Big Ideas & 'Best Of'

Announcing the Faith ON Campus Summer Institute

Greetings from our family mini-van — oh the power of technology, powered by thumbs!

We’re currently traveling through Wisconsin, on our way to see family and friends in Minnesota; but I needed to get one more post in before my vacation can officially begin.

If you read my post on Monday, then you learned about some exciting news regarding a couple of books I have in the works.

You would have also noted that at the bottom of that post I eluded to ANOTHER BIG ANNOUNCEMENT coming this week…

Well this is that announcement!

Faith ON Campus is excite to announce the creation of the Faith ON Campus Summer Institute!

June 26, 2012Student Culture, Trends & Issues

[INFOGRAPHIC] Teens and Porn: 10 Stats You Need to Know

As I mentioned in my post yesterday, I’ve got a second book in the works…

The first book is geared towards Mentors — really anyone who might speak into the lives of college students (including, but not limited to: parents, pastors, professors, coaches, directors, et al). I hope it will serve as a guide for having important and timely conversations with students during their formative college years.

The second book will be geared towards college students and will examine some of the things that are literally “killing their souls.”

June 25, 2012Big Ideas & 'Best Of'

2 Books, the Month of July, & My Attempts at Keeping Things Sane

Well, it looks like this book things is really going to happen!

In fact, I met with a publisher a couple of weeks ago, and plans are now in the works for 2 books and a video teaching series that could be used with one of the books as a tool for mentors and students together.

Truthfully, I’m still a bit shocked about it all. Not only is the book (that’s been floating around in my head for the past 6 years) going to make it to print, but the publisher liked it so much — and could see a very natural spin-off, that they wanted another one right away.

YES, right away.