Most students probably do not arrive on the Hill their freshman year expecting to be enveloped in religious fervor. Indeed, popular perceptions of college hedonism don"t seem conducive to quiet spiritual reflection, and students suddenly confronted with the vast array of new cultures and beliefs in college are often thought to leave behind any spiritual notions imparted on them by their upbringing.
Junior Kasey Mitchell arrived at Tufts with 12 years of Catholic school under her belt. "I had started to claim the faith as my own in high school," Mitchell said, "but it was still a rote practice."
Freshman year, Mitchell said she struggled to find her place in the new college setting. "I wanted to be a person, not just a student," she said.
Mitchell was ultimately introduced to the Tufts Interfaith Community through Pathways, an Experimental College initiative designed to promote interfaith awareness and understanding. She eventually became involved with Conversations, Action, Faith, and Education (CAFE) and helped run the Interfaith Orientation program - activities which only further motivated her religious exploration. Coming to college, she said, allowed her to "see how it was to go to church with people my own age."
Mitchell doesn"t believe she"s alone in experiencing a spiritual transformation while at college.
"I think it"s really common to start questioning and exploring other faiths," she said. "It"s natural to start wondering why we believe what we believe. I realized I didn"t always have to have the answer."
Fletcher student Eric Sullivan had a similar experience. Sullivan arrived at the University of North Carolina having been educated entirely in Catholic schools, and maintained his religious commitment through prayer and religion classes. "In college, my mainstay was going to church," Sullivan said. "It kept me grounded."
However, a chance encounter with several Baha"i students encouraged and impressed Sullivan. It motivated him to do some exploring.
"I thought, these are the most Christ-like people I"ve ever met," he said. "It was a complete message of love. How did that fit into my faith?"
Sullivan now identifies as a Baha"i, though he does not consider this identification as a conversion.
"I didn"t change any of my core beliefs," he said. "What matters is the life you lead and your actions, not what you say you are."
Nonetheless, Sullivan noted that Baha"i has produced a profound change in him personally. "It really inspires me to be a better person," he said. "It motivates my good qualities."
Protestant Chaplain Reverend Kerrie Harthan explained that many students share experiences similar to those of Mitchell or Sullivan.
"I think this generation now is very much into trying to figure out [its] spiritual life," Harthan said. Others offered different reasons why many college students begin to rethink their faith.
"People aged 18 to 25 are very questioning and open," Muslim Chaplain Naila Baloch said, "but it"s a very uncertain time also."
Both Harthan and Baloch feel that the sudden introduction to a college environment might also encourage spiritual exploration.
"Students might be lonely," Harthan said. "They"re away from their families, their friends and their home religious community. Their faith and practices are challenged."
"So much is challenged all at once," Baloch continued. "There"s a sense of exploring and deepening. It"s a process."
While college may be a time of questioning, Mitchell does not believe that life at Tufts discourages religion.
"There might be an apathy towards religion, but it"s not an antipathy," Mitchell said.
Jewish Chaplain Rabbi Jeffrey Summit explained that many students at Tufts express religious beliefs and spirituality despite the fact that they do not acknowledge a specific religious following.
"I think that while many students say they are ?not religious," in fact, they ask religious questions," Summit said. "What is important in my life? What is my relationship to community? What are my responsibilities to the world? What values do I hold as important?"
"[Tufts students] are a pretty darn religious group," Harthan said, "meaning they take their work and their contribution to the common good very seriously. Perhaps even more than I"ve seen at other schools."
Both Harthan and Baloch emphasized Tufts" commitment to service and active citizenship as an important aspect of religiosity.
"Tufts really has a soul," Harthan said. "Students feel that they can change the world ... that they have to. They have the courage to follow their spirituality; they don"t feel like they have to take a high-paying job necessarily. They ply their trade with love and compassion, and compassion is at the center of faith."
Baloch echoed this notion, saying that Tufts might actually be the ideal environment for a spiritual awakening.
"Tufts students are very open-minded," Baloch said. "Few schools have an interfaith center. That"s really significant. Tufts is focused on an openness to all traditions, and that"s reflected in the student body."
Sullivan agreed. "People can feel vulnerable when talking about faith," he said. "Taking that first step is hard, so the dialogues don"t necessarily happen on their own, but people do want to talk."
Such feelings, he said, are the reason CAFE hosts weekly religious dialogs. "We want to give people a safe place to talk," he said.
"I"ve never not had an interesting conversation with someone about their faith," Harthan said. "It"s the most intimate thing you can ask another person."
