I need the inside story of Steubenville

[Madaglan]

A few months ago I visited and toured Franciscan University of Steubenville’s campus. I even attended the daily mass in the chapel. I expected to see a lot of charismatic activity, but I was surprised, while at Mass, to see none of this. The Mass seemed little different from the one I attend at home.

I understand that Fr. Scanlon (I think that’s how it is spelled) transformed the school into a devout Roman Catholic institute with a heavy charismatic emphasis; but I’m wondering if, besides the youth conferences, which are still very much charismatic, this focus has changed for the college students themselves. I didn’t have enough time to talk with other students at length on this issue, but I do hope that individuals online, who have had personal experiences with Franciscan, or who know students who go or have gone to Franciscan, can give me a better picture of the present spiritual atmosphere in Steubenville.

I very much appreciate help in answering the following questions:

1. To what degree is the charismatic movement still central to student life at Franciscan University?
2. Do most or all students support the charismatic movement on campus?
3. Is there a sizable number of students who are either completely indifferent or opposed to the charismatc movement?
4. Is there a sizable number of Eastern Catholics on campus?
5. Is there a sizable number of Catholics who prefer traditional worship (such as TLM) over newer forms of worship?
6. Are there many “intellectual” students at Franciscan. When I say “intellectual,” please do not think of snoody or snobby. I am simply curious if there are students who are insanely driven in their studies and who go above and beyond the call of duty in what they learn.
7. Are there many introverts at Steubenville?
8. Are serious individuals well-accepted by the student body, even if they are not “skippedy do da” (thinking of the atmosphere of the song; i don’t intend offense by this term) about their faith?
9. Is criticism well-accpeted by students?

by professors?

When I say criticism, I do not mean vituperative polemics, but simply criticizing a certain philosophy or theology based on reasonable observations and arguments. For example (and this is only theoretical; i do not hold to the following), arguing (from Scripture, Church Fathers, etc.) that not all abortion is murder because ensoulment does not occur until a discrete time following conception. If I were to even propose an argument such as this one (without strictly adhering to the argument, but simply advancing it as a scholastic possibility) would I receive contempt in return?

How about if I point out what I think may be weaknesses in certain Catholic theologians?

1. Is the school very “clic’ish” (spelling)? In other words, do students tend to herd together (6+ people) a lot when recreating, or do friendships tend to include smaller groups of individuals (maybe 3,4, 5 individuals)?

Thanks for your help!

 

[Brenda_V]

Madaglan:

My daughter graduated from Franciscan U of S (from here on out, just Franciscan) two years ago. With her help I will try to answer your questions. First of all, if you are looking for a Charismatic Mass you will usually have to attend the Sunday High Mass which used to be at 11 a.m.

I very much appreciate help in answering the following questions:

1. To what degree is the charismatic movement still central to student life at Franciscan University?

This all depends on the student. It is not a requirement. My daughter’s best friend started as a non-Catholic and was not pressured into anything but ended up converting. You must also remember that not everyone is “charismatic” or feels comfortable with it. One doesn’t have to be “charismatic” to be a good and faithful Catholic. Franciscan students and faculty recognize this and welcome all Catholics and non-Catholics

1. Do most or all students support the charismatic movement on campus? (It is too hard to do different colors so from here on out my answers to your questions will be in parentheses. In answer to this question, see above and also remember that the people my daughter knew have graduated so things could be different)
2. Is there a sizable number of students who are either completely indifferent or opposed to the charismatc movement?(No)
3. Is there a sizable number of Eastern Catholics on campus? (Don’t know - if there are they don’t “stand out”)
4. Is there a sizable number of Catholics who prefer traditional worship (such as TLM) over newer forms of worship?(There are some but not a “sizable” number necessarily)
5. Are there many “intellectual” students at Franciscan. When I say “intellectual,” please do not think of snoody or snobby. I am simply curious if there are students who are insanely driven in their studies and who go above and beyond the call of duty in what they learn. (yes - a sizable number)
6. Are there many introverts at Steubenville?(maybe - didn’t meet them)
7. Are serious individuals well-accepted by the student body, even if they are not “skippedy do da” (thinking of the atmosphere of the song; i don’t intend offense by this term) about their faith? (yes)
8. Is criticism well-accpeted by students? (why would you have to criticise a student?)

by professors? (or a professor?)

When I say criticism, I do not mean vituperative polemics, but simply criticizing a certain philosophy or theology based on reasonable observations and arguments. For example (and this is only theoretical; i do not hold to the following), arguing (from Scripture, Church Fathers, etc.) that not all abortion is murder because ensoulment does not occur until a discrete time following conception. If I were to even propose an argument such as this one (without strictly adhering to the argument, but simply advancing it as a scholastic possibility) would I receive contempt in return? (possibly - most likely you would be taken as a bit off your rocker though. Seriously, most students and/or professors would more likely try to use the same methods to convince you otherwise. Remember now, this is coming form an Education Major not a Theology Major).

How about if I point out what I think may be weaknesses in certain Catholic theologians? (See above)

1. Is the school very “clic’ish” (spelling)? In other words, do students tend to herd together (6+ people) a lot when recreating, or do friendships tend to include smaller groups of individuals (maybe 3,4, 5 individuals)? (yes and no. Like any place with large groups of people you are going to get your cliques. For the most part you are going to find friendly people who want to get to know you if you are willing to get to know them. They were able to get my very shy, introverted daughter to come out of her shell and be a part of a group (with mostly other introverted people but she made many friends with whom she still keeps in contact)

Thanks for your help!

Hope this helps you. If you want more of an idea of what it is like to be at Franciscan I suggest you take at least a week there, not just a weekend or a few days.

Brenda V.

 

[puzzleannie]

my only knowledge of student life at Franciscan U is gained from the students who work for the summer conferences I attended for 6-7 years, who collectively are the most fantastic group of college students I have ever met. Based on knowing them I would recommend any Catholic student consider this as their first choice Catholic school.

 

[Makerteacher]

I have a niece and several alumni of my high school (I teach) who are either current or recent graduates of Stuebenville. Every single one of them is a practicing Catholic, and without fail they all love Stuebenville, but they are NOT all Charismatic Catholics. The school has an open and active charismatic dimension to it, but that is not forced on anyone. The Masses which are going to be Charismatic in nature are usually “advertised” as such.

It’s one of the few truly Catholic colleges left in this country, which teaches the Catholic Faith as handed down by the Magisterium, and not the culturally popular relativism which has invaded so many other allegedly “catholic” universities.

I will ask some of my past students and my niece to drop in over here and give you more details.

 

[pittsburghjeff]

Geesh

This is a long questionairre, but let me make a few comments. I did not graduate from Franciscan, but I do teach a course there.
As far as I am concerned, Steubenville is the best college I have ever been around…and I have traveled and spoken on many campuses.

Most of my students are extremely intelligent, balanced, and on fire for their faith. The Charismatic/traditionalist think is really not an issue. Most all of the students love Christ and his Church. Some just express it in different ways than others. But all are united behind the Holy Father.

We have just about every movement on campus (Charismatic, Marian, etc) and all are seen as good things.

It’s a great place… Most of the questions you pose are impossible to answer on a campus of a couple thousand students.
But my understanding is that most of the students who go there who aren’t “skip-dad-dee-doo-da” (or however you phrased it) on fire for their faith are by the time they graduate.

Don’t overthink your decision.

The only downside I see to going to Franciscan is the cost.

Hope this was helpful

God bless

 

[Madaglan]

Thank you everyone for your responses.

Originally Quoted by Markerteacher:

It’s one of the few truly Catholic colleges left in this country, which teaches the Catholic Faith as handed down by the Magisterium, and not the culturally popular relativism which has invaded so many other allegedly “catholic” universities.

Yep, that’s one of the reasons why I have decided to go to Steubenville. I looked into some other good Catholic schools, many of them which are “highly competetive,” such as the University of Scranton, run by the Jesuits. However, I know that many of these so-called Catholic universities no longer have a Catholic mission (don’t get me wrong: I am sure that there are many pious students on campus; I just don’t think that the faculty and administration are as devoutly Catholic as they used to be.)

Originally Quoted by pittsburghjeff:

It’s a great place… Most of the questions you pose are impossible to answer on a campus of a couple thousand students.
But my understanding is that most of the students who go there who aren’t “skip-dad-dee-doo-da” (or however you phrased it) on fire for their faith are by the time they graduate.

Don’t overthink your decision.

The only downside I see to going to Franciscan is the cost

.

All right. I just know that I’m more of a Thinker than a Feeler; so I can’t imagine myself on fire for my faith, except perhaps in the literal sense, and were I placed by God in some dire situation.

I mean, I suppose that the charismatic movement is all right, when within reasonable bounds. I just get nervous when charismatics I know start talking about the “Baptism in the Spirit” as being a “born-again” experience.

At my last college I had to deal with people in my dorm at 3 a.m. on Tuesday nights getting drunk, having promiscuous sex, breaking windows, doors, mirrors, lamposts, beer bottles in the hallway, etc. So, on second thought, I think I can handle a few people getting “slain in the Spirit,” even if it’s not my thing.

I guess I’m just concerned that everyone will look at me, think, “He’s not spirited enough!” and try to coerce me to more freely let the Spirit work in me, and to become cheerful. I’m just concerned about being “forced” into adopting a certain mindset. But, from what you and others have said, it seems like Franciscan respects different Catholic attitudes, for which I am grateful if it be true.

You are right about the cost. However, I will be going as a grad student, and my first semester altogether costs less than $5000, since I’m taking all night classes. Still, I will have to take out loans for the other four semesters.

 

[Peace-bwu]

I am an Ohio gal who went to University of Dayton, a Marionist college in Dayton, OH. I truly loved the school, but wish I had checked out Stubenville. 12 yrs ago, I had never heard of it during my college search, so didn’t check it out. Unfortunately when I was a sophomore, UD raised their tuition, I didn’t get as many grants or student loans, and being the eldest of 4, I didn’t want my parents to take parent loans. I was an art/ journalism major, so knew it would take a long time to pay back my loans. I transferred to Ohio University because of their journalism school and better art program. The social scene was very unfulfilling for me. Not to bash OU, but, after UD I missed being able to find so many people who shared my moral values. The funny thing is that I applied for an art scholarship at University of Dayton, and one semester after I transferred, I was awarded a $10,000 scholarship, too late!

The Masses at UD were very much “teen life style” which at the time I was unfamiliar with and they made me uncomfortable so when I wasnt’ with friends, I went to Mass at a regular parish on the outskirts of campus.

I am telling you this because I thoroughly enjoyed attending a Catholic college, you are making the right decision! I hope that you don’t have the same problems I encountered with tuition hikes and not enough student aid. I would have loved to finish my degree at UDayton. I met wonderful friends there and will probably always feel like the kid in the candy store who didn’t have enough money for the lollypop! Make sure you are going to be able to afford 4-5 years at your school of choice.

I only went to Ohio U. for one year, then married my husband and began my junior year at University of West Florida, which was like the kid who found a lollypop her friend dropped and was desperate enough to eat it! LOL.

 

[Peace-bwu]

I guess I’m just concerned that everyone will look at me, think, “He’s not spirited enough!” and try to coerce me to more freely let the Spirit work in me, and to become cheerful. I’m just concerned about being “forced” into adopting a certain mindset. But, from what you and others have said, it seems like Franciscan respects different Catholic attitudes, for which I am grateful if it be true.

Not all devout Catholics are cheerful, (some of us are more the serious, pained by the pain of the world and looking to Christ for peace type)and not all the students will be devout Catholics.

The things that annoyed me about the Masses at the chapel on U.D. campus were many. First of all, they removed the pews and replaced them with chairs because it allowed a greater capacity. There were no kneelers and this bugged me to no end. The music was very “teen life” which has grown on me somewhat over the years, but it seemed to focus so much on the choir and their sing-songy kumbaya cheerfulness, more than the Mass being the focus.

I hope everything works out for you. After reading your last post, I realize you are going to grad school so you won’t be in the situation I was faced with.

 

[ack]

Hi Peace,

At the University of Dayton, did you find that many of the people that you met were faithful Catholics?

One of my co-workers just finished his freshman year at UD. Not only is underage drinking permitted by the residence staff in the building, it’s encouraged. More specifically, the resident assistant in charge of supervising the freshmen in his dorm organizes parties with alcohol for the freshmen to attend, and from what I heard, the freshmen eagerly do so.

Doesn’t sound any different from my secular university…

Peace-bwu:

I am an Ohio gal who went to University of Dayton, a Marionist college in Dayton, OH. I truly loved the school, but wish I had checked out Stubenville. 12 yrs ago, I had never heard of it during my college search, so didn’t check it out. Unfortunately when I was a sophomore, UD raised their tuition, I didn’t get as many grants or student loans, and being the eldest of 4, I didn’t want my parents to take parent loans. I was an art/ journalism major, so knew it would take a long time to pay back my loans. I transferred to Ohio University because of their journalism school and better art program. The social scene was very unfulfilling for me. Not to bash OU, but, after UD I missed being able to find so many people who shared my moral values. The funny thing is that I applied for an art scholarship at University of Dayton, and one semester after I transferred, I was awarded a $10,000 scholarship, too late!

The Masses at UD were very much “teen life style” which at the time I was unfamiliar with and they made me uncomfortable so when I wasnt’ with friends, I went to Mass at a regular parish on the outskirts of campus.

I am telling you this because I thoroughly enjoyed attending a Catholic college, you are making the right decision! I hope that you don’t have the same problems I encountered with tuition hikes and not enough student aid. I would have loved to finish my degree at UDayton. I met wonderful friends there and will probably always feel like the kid in the candy store who didn’t have enough money for the lollypop! Make sure you are going to be able to afford 4-5 years at your school of choice.

I only went to Ohio U. for one year, then married my husband and began my junior year at University of West Florida, which was like the kid who found a lollypop her friend dropped and was desperate enough to eat it! LOL.

 

[Peace-bwu]

ack:

Hi Peace,

At the University of Dayton, did you find that many of the people that you met were faithful Catholics?

One of my co-workers just finished his freshman year at UD. Not only is underage drinking permitted by the residence staff in the building, it’s encouraged. More specifically, the resident assistant in charge of supervising the freshmen in his dorm organizes parties with alcohol for the freshmen to attend, and from what I heard, the freshmen eagerly do so.

Doesn’t sound any different from my secular university…

There was plenty of partying, and there was a group of about 5 girls who were BIG party girls (all catholic) on my freshman dorm floor,we were sometimes at odds, especially when they wandered in loudly at 6am after a wild night during finals! It was very easy for me to find girls and guys to hang out with who drank in moderation or not at all, and nearly all happened to be Catholic, two of them were Lutheran but went to Mass with us and my roomie was Baptist. I wouldnt’ think it as common to find a group of 8 or 9 girls on a freshman dorm at many secular universities with whom I shared such similar values. Two of my best friends went to World Youth Day in Denver, which had a profound affect on their lives. My boyfreind, now my husband, was in a fraternity. During parties my friends and I usually had a mini party in his room that was much less wild, more hanging out and talking.

So, to answer your question, yes there was much debauchery but it was also very easy to find a wide range of Catholic, or religious people who shared my values to varying degrees. I simply chose my friends carefully and avoided the negative, my husband on the other hand grew to regret joining his fraternity, and being his girlfriend I was dragged through it a little, which is a story for another day. It wasn’t the case at OU but maybe because I wasn’t there as a freshman, I still doubt there would have been such a large group of Catholic / religious girls on my freshman floor.

My R.A. was a devout Catholic from Africa so she didn’t fit your co-worker’s description. She was actually more devout than me at the time! Sometimes girls would have a few beers in their refridgerators but if they had been caught they would have been busted by my RA, she also organized nonalcoholic events with other floors. We weren’t all saints but it wasnt’ one huge party, either. (except for the 5 party girls on my floor) My husband’s RA (he was two yrs. ahead of me) was brewing beer in his own room and was alot more wild, so maybe it depends on the RA.

 

[KCT]

When I attended in the 80’s, it was pretty charismatic. When our oldest visited there a year ago, it was much quieter. As long as they’re teaching what they should be, does it matter if it’s charismatic or not? Are you looking for a charismatic school? —KCT