Universities Weblog

So much for the stereotype of the drunken, foul-mouthed college student. Apparently, today's students are walking the higher road, including both religion and morals in their lives.

A recent study at Harvard University found an increase in the percentage of students who both valued religion, and who are concerned about the 'moral direction' the U.S. is taking.

In a telephone survey of 1,200 American college students, 7 out of 10 said religion was somewhat or very important in their lives, and 1 in 4 said they'd become more spiritual since entering college.

Fifty-four percent said they were concerned about the moral direction of the country.

I absolutely agree with these findings, as I find repeated evidence of them in my own students, who continually surprise and touch me with their papers that detail the importance of their faith, ideals, and hopes for humanity.

I asked one of my students, sophomore Matt Perez, about this apparent trend. Here's what he said:

"I think it's because when you were my age, there was so much to fight against. Now people are more peaceful, and happy to just be here in the world. We can think about how to make things better, instead of just trying to get ahead or survive."

Aside from making me feel a bit old, this statement was a nice revelation.

One statement from the article perhaps sums it all up: "Students have gone from the `me' generation, Generation X, to the `we' generation," Shaheen said.

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