Religion on a secular campus
Breakout sessions discussed varying issues
Laura Hathaway
Issue date: 4/29/08 Section: News
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The convention covered topics ranging from how to teach about religion and how religion should be practiced on a secular university campus to the role of faculty in addressing spiritual concerns voiced by students.
Other questions that were addressed were if colleges and universities are meeting their students' needs in terms of religion and if faculty should express personal religious positions in the classroom.
Provost Gregg Kvistad along with others, such as student Joel Portman, gave the welcoming remarks.
Attendees broke out into discussion groups, each including guest speakers such as professors and students. There were four morning one-hour sessions.
One, titled, "Religion and Secularity," addressed whether the constitutional issues separation of church and state implies the separation of church and academia and the differences in teaching in a secular school versus a religiously affiliated school.
Another breakout group focused on teaching Latino studies and religion.
The third group discussed religion and globalization. The final group focused on how doctoral students consider religion.
After lunch, breakout sessions began again. The afternoon focused on topics such as the role of faculty in students' lives, religious diversity on campus and different views undergraduate and graduate students have about religion.
Graduate student Diana Carvalho, sophomore Philosophy and Religious Studies major Tucker Plumlee and sophomore Religious Studies and Molecular Biology major Rabah Kamal spoke about religion as perceived by students.
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