Religious Diversity Can Reform Our Campuses

Key Findings:

This essay examines how religious diversity (amongst various other phenomena) shape college campuses today. 

It is argued that the future of higher education is in peril, for a variety of reasons that includes negative consequences of well-intentioned diversification efforts. These initiatives have led to division and misunderstanding on campus amongst students, rather than having fostered a sense of community. 

In contrast, religious diversity is argued to be a growing and positive influence on campus communities. The author shares an experience from his time as a college student celebrating holidays from different faiths, and maintains that interactions of this nature can lead to an environment of social repair and connection amongst students from different backgrounds - including racial, cultural, and socioeconomic.

The spiritual void left by the decline of religious affiliation has been found to be linked to the rise of the anti-Zionist movements displayed on campus. The Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA (HERI) found that in 1966, more than half (55 percent) of all first-time, full-time college students described themselves as Protestant, and more than one-quarter (28 percent) identified as Catholic. Only 7 percent of incoming students in 1966 reported having no affiliation with a religion. In 2015, HERI found that less than a quarter (24 percent) of students identified as Catholic while the number of Protestants dropped to 38 percent. 2023 data from a Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression study of more than 55,000 undergraduates from over 250 schools show that students identify across a host of faiths: 10 percent as Protestant, 18 percent as Catholic, 17 percent as “Just Christian,” 3 percent as Jewish, 2 percent each for Muslim and Mormon, 1 percent each as Buddhist and Hindu.

Therefore, the uptick in diversity of religious faith (and non-faith) on campus may explain why students are increasingly drawn to extremist movements and echo-chambers of thought, such as anti-Zionist encampments and demonstrations. Now more than ever, many college students do not affiliate with a traditional religious group, and these demonstrations effectively become a “replacement religion.” Anti-Zionist groups borrow elements from traditional religion such as communal demonstration, a sense of purpose, as well as a shared moral mission, dress, and language. Students who join these movements have reported feeling more focused and less isolated, indicating a deep yearning for purpose and connection.  

Whether or not the students are successful in adhering to these stated virtues, their intentions are promising. The author finds hope in the data, arguing that college campuses are in fact not facing a clash in values – quite the opposite.  

Efforts should focus on guiding students back towards their stated values, a process akin to ‘religious reformation.’ Campus leaders must understand that their nonreligious students are yearning for community and connection, and to strive for fostering environments that celebrate diversity of faiths as opposed to adhering to the previously unsuccessful DEI approach. The potential for meaningful connections is greater than ever, given the increasing diversity of religious beliefs on college campuses today.