The Ivy Jungle Newsletter is something I look forward to getting each month. It focuses on issues related to college age people and ministry, it is diverse, and is always full of relevant and informative material. The link to this month's issue (September) is at: The Ivy Jungle: September Update.Here are a few things from the September issue--most of it is here--that caught my attention, there are several Facebook things, and for us faculty type, checkout the alternative delivery factoid . . .
Trends in Student Ministry, Culture and Higher Education:
How Higher Ed Has Changed: The greatest boost to higher education came with the GI Bill following World War II. With government funding, college enrollment increased from 160,000 two years before the war to nearly 500,000 in 1950. In 1952, veterans made up 49% of all students. By the time the Baby Boom Generation graduated from high school, college was no longer just for the elite, but had become more accessible to all. Between 1960 and 1980 the number o professors in the US rose from 235,000 to 685,000. America had created a large educated class of people. In the last 15 years, much attention has been given to the lack of interest and spirit of entitlement among many today's college students. Parents are over-involved and students want to be entertained. The quality of college education has been lamented with many students scoring little better than high school graduates of 50 years ago. According to the US Department of Education, nearly half of college students need remedial courses in math and reading. Tuition costs have outpaced inflation and even health care. Thirty years ago, the annual cost of attending a private university equaled 21 weeks of pay for the average US worker. Now that figure is more than 53 weeks, more than a year of work to pay for a private college. (Salvo Magazine Autumn 08)
Facebook Admissions: 10% of admissions counselors at competitive colleges say they have looked at Facebook and other social networking sites to evaluate applicants. The survey, reported in the Wall Street Journal, indicated that most of the time reviews of student profiles "negatively affected" their application. (Inside Higher Ed September 18, 2008)
Didn't We Meet on Facebook: These days, two freshmen roommates shaking hands and introducing themselves for the first time has become a very strange site. Virtually all students arrive on campus not only having met their roommates, but perhaps dozens of other new friends thanks to Facebook. Students quickly join their "class group" and find other affinity groups from their campus. Many say it has created a different kind of awkward meeting when many have begun friendships online and meet for the first time saying, "Hi, we met on Facebook . . .". While some students have become concerned about roommates based on their profiles, even more alarming these days would be a potential roommate not on Facebook. (St. Louis Post Dispatch Online August 28, 2008)
The Facebook Effect: Researchers believe that today's teens are becoming sexually bolder because of social networking sites like Facebook, Myspace and Bebo. Information about sex and discussions about sex are much more prevalent in their virtual worlds. Many teens say that they believe the sexually active characters they see on TV accurately reflect teens today. However, they also they resent that older generations view them as promiscuous and obsessed with sex. Some experts say that the good thing is more teens are learning and asking questions about sex. However, they do fear that many lack the maturity to weigh the sources and discern what is appropriate or inappropriate behavior and levels of intimacy, especially in the semi-public environment of social networking sites. (Telegraph.co.uk August 27, 2008)
New Facebook: This month, millions of Facebook users experienced a change in format to what has become the world's leading social networking site. The shift, which has reorganized profile content into a series of different tabs, has met with mixed results from users. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg (age 24) learned from previous fumbles on changes to the site and began phasing in "new Facebook" months ago. Despite recent criticism, Zuckerberg points out that over the summer 40 million users tried the new format option with less than a quarter reverting to the old format. Zuckerberg states that he has tried hard to anticipate response and to make the change easier for the 100 million Facebook users. Social networking sites now represent a $2 billion market for advertisers. (Time.com Sept. 10, 2008; USA Today September 21, 2008)
Athletes and the Web: A high profile case involving wrestlers at the University of Nebraska highlights an increasing concern for athletic directors - athlete antics posted online. University of Nebraska athletic director, Tom Osborne, says in years gone by getting arrested was about the only way an athlete could embarrass their school. However, today, almost any stupid thing can end up on YouTube or Facebook and bring disgrace to the individuals, the program, and the school. Many athletic departments have special sessions warning athletes about what they post on social networking sites as well as what they do that might end up on someone else's site. Some schools, such as the University of Loyola, bar athletes from having profiles on social networking sites. College administrators estimate that 90% of athletes do have some sort of social networking profile. (AP September 2, 2008)
Financial Aid Applications Up: Financial Aid officers have a pulse on the economy; when financial aid applications increase, it is a good indication that things are getting tighter for more people. Such was the case this year. Federal data shows nearly 9 million students applied for federal financial aid this year, a 16% increase over the same period last year. 800,000 more students applied for Pell Grants this year, which could mean a $6 billion shortfall for the government. (Inside Higher Ed September 18, 2008)
New Calls to Drop Standardized Tests: The National Association for College Admission Counseling has encouraged schools to drop the ACT and SAT as admissions requirements. The report asks schools to evaluate the need for standardized tests in the admissions process, pointing to racial biases in the tests and the availability of other criteria to admission counselors. The group feels that media and commercial interests have come to dominate the testing industry, which offers little value for the evaluation of applicants. Several studies have questioned the predictive value of the SAT and ACT. More than 700 schools do not require the tests for admission. This month, Wake Forest became one of the highest profile schools to drop their requirement for test scores. (Inside Higher Ed Sept 22)
Alternative Lecture Delivery: 82% of undergraduates say they would be willing to get lectures in ways other than attending class. Many schools have begun posting some lecture content online, which students say is an advantage. Reasons for wanting material available for online download include: making up for missed classes (93%), "watching lectures on demand for convenience" (79%), and reviewing material before tests. More than half said they would like access to the material for reference even after the semester ended, much like keeping one's textbooks. (Inside Higher Ed September 23, 2008)
Guys Trying to Figure Out How to Act: Behavioral researchers have said that many young men seem confused on what it means to become a man. A generation ago, masculinity had clearer parameters and men and women had clearer roles. However, today, many young men are unsure how to act. Labels like "mook" and "slacker" are often used to describe a generation that spends much of their time with video games and has little motivation. They seem to have a difficult time navigating adulthood and issues of sex, drinking, friendships, and the future. A number of books including Boys Adrift (Sax); Guyland (Kimmel); and Buddy System (Greif) all point to the importance of relationships with parents and male friends for guys as they move into adulthood. (USA Today August 25, 2008)
Struggling with Morality: A Barna research study shows that adults under the age of 25 struggle with morality much more than their older counterparts. The poll looked at eight behaviors including the use of profanity in public, gambling, gossiping, sexual intercourse with someone other than their spouse, viewing pornography, acts of retaliation, getting drunk and lying. In each category, younger adults were more than twice as likely to have engaged in these behaviors. The most common behavior for both groups was profanity, followed by sex, lying, and pornography (not in that order for older adults). Politically liberal people were also more likely to have engaged in these immoral behaviors than their conservative peers. Among evangelicals, profanity and pornography were the most common transgressions. Agnostics and skeptics were five times as likely to have engaged in any of the behaviors as evangelicals. Researchers believe the results show that the moral code has begun to shift considerably in areas of honesty, language and sex. (Barna Update August 25, 2008)
Unmarried and Not Going To Church: Attendance patterns indicate that churches are taking a hit because young adults are delaying marriage and the start of their families. In his book, After the Baby Boomers: How Twenty and Thirty Somethings are Shaping the Future of American Religion, Princeton researcher Robert Wuthnow estimates that churches would have 6.3 million more attenders if young people got married at the same rate they did 30 years ago. (Citizenlink August 5, 2008 in Mission America Coalition Update September 2008)
New Name At PSU: The Campus Crusade group at Penn State has changed its name to "Penn Students for Christ" (PSC). "Cru" has been on campus for more than 25 years but felt the name change was warranted due to the negative implications of the word "crusade." PSC says it was difficult to drop such a nationally recognized name, but that most of the students were in favor of the change. The move comes as several other groups around the country have also changed their name for similar reasons. The group maintains its ties with the national organization of Campus Crusade for Christ and believes the change will only enhance its mission on campus. (Daily Pennsylvanian August 28, 2008)
Graduate Student Auctions Off Virginity: In a new low for morals and capitalism, a 22 year old graduate student at Sacramento State has joined with a legal Nevada brothel to auction off her virginity. The young woman says she can verify her purity and is selling her first experience to finance her graduate education in marriage and family therapy. Holding an undergraduate degree in women's studies she believes her actions are empowering to her as a woman and that her virginity is marketable because it is a rare commodity. Several students have expressed support, especially for a cause as noble as paying for school. (CBS13.com September 11, 2008)
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And, you have to read this, I found it quite interesting. Solomon's wisdom proves true once again, there really is "nothing new under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 1:8-10) . . .10.01.2008 Something new is coming, or perhaps is already here. It's a new type of Christianity. It is still taking shape all around us, so it's hard to describe. Labels won't be any help. But one thing's for sure. It Is The Future. Everything changes, and everything has to be left wide open to new developments. Just because Christianity has a Bible ... Read More...
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