CARA VAN METER
Staff Writer
Wondering how Pepperdine students compare to the rest of the nation, spiritually-speaking? Students who were interviewed this fall agreed in expecting Pepperdine to differ significantly from other schools when it came to questions of students’ spiritual habits and beliefs. Survey results show they are right.
“I would assume that most people are in the middle of the religious spectrum,” said Junior Spanish major Jason Tamez, “but Pepperdine’s screening process admits more people who are on the religious side.”
We surveyed fifty members of the freshman class to find out exactly how different Pepperdine students are. Participants were asked to fill out an abridged version of the survey used by the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) at UCLA. They rated the importance of spirituality in their day-to-day lives as well as the impact of religion on their personal goals and beliefs. Those who took the survey agreed with Tamez.
“I think that Pepperdine students overall are more spiritual,” said survey participant Nicole Pritchett. Is it, as Tamez suggested, Pepperdine’s screening process that results in high levels of spirituality among students here? Ali Alarcon, a freshman communications major, has a different theory.
“[The students] come here looking for spirituality, whereas other universities that aren’t religiously affiliated don’t appeal as much to more spiritual people,” said Alarcon.
So how exactly is someone’s level of spirituality determined? Students were asked what their religious preferences were, whether they believe in God, whether they participated in any religious activities or discussed spirituality with others, and what they considered to be the ultimate spiritual quest in their lives. Though there were a number of significant differences between the findings of the HERI study and the response of Pepperdine’s freshmen class, the Pepperdine results were not as drastically one-sided as some might expect.
The majority of Pepperdine students reported that their religious preferences are Christian but not necessarily Church of Christ. Church of Christ members make up only 20 percent of the freshmen surveyed. Sixteen percent of students surveyed said they were Catholic, and 14 percent report no religious preference.
Unsurprisingly, 88 percent of the students surveyed at Pepperdine profess a belief in God, while six percent do not believe in God. The final six percent say they’re not sure whether God exists or not. Of those who took part in the HERI national study, 79 percent believe in God.
The results of that study also showed that 81 percent of college students across the nation attend religious services. At Pepperdine, that number is 90 percent. Nearly two thirds of Pepperdine’s freshmen say they attend religious services “frequently,” and another one in five students attends such services “occasionally.” The overwhelming majority—82 percent— of students at Pepperdine report that they pray, as compared to HERI’s figure of 69 percent of students who pray at other colleges and universities.
A remarkable 94 percent of Pepperdine’s freshmen discuss religion and spirituality with their family and friends, but 30 percent say they never discuss these matters in class. Interestingly, 28 percent of freshmen say they are “uncomfortable discussing religious matters.”
Yet, nearly three quarters of those surveyed at Pepperdine say that they “gain spiritual strength by trusting in a higher power,” and 90 percent consider themselves to be on a spiritual quest (see graph). Seventy percent of students say that their spirituality “is a source of joy,” and 78 percent find religion to be personally helpful.
Students were also asked to define the role of their spiritual/religious beliefs in their day-to-day lives. Nearly three quarters of students surveyed said that their spiritual/religious beliefs have helped them develop their identity, while the same number identified those beliefs as one of the most important things in their lives. Additionally, 74 percent said that their spiritual/religious beliefs give meaning and purpose to their lives.
“It’s how I try to keep my mindset always,” said Tamez when asked how important spirituality was in his everyday life, “Always be aware of being prayerful and spiritual.”
12-15-2005