As a relatively recent Gustavus graduate, I am not unaware of the sexually permissive, left-leaning, increasingly secularized campus culture that students encounter despite the college’s purported mission to be a “…community where a mature understanding of the Christian faith and lives of service are nurtured…” While at Gustavus I learned of professors who undermined or even disparaged orthodox Christian beliefs, and I attended chapel services stripped of any reference to Christ or traditional biblical teaching. And yet, when I read about the sexually explicit freshmen orientation program and watched a video excerpt of it, I was shocked.
While many assume that most college students will be sexually active and seek to minimize the consequences of such behavior by educating about STI prevention and birth control, Gustavus encourages not only sexual promiscuity but sexual deviance in the form of sadomasochism, pornography and masturbation.
Institutions of higher learning were created to educate and mold the leaders of the future by teaching students academic content and holding them to high standards of character and integrity. Gustavus has not set the bar high for incoming freshmen but has lowered it to such a degree that it seems no topic is too base and vulgar to be used as fodder for comical skits. It would seem as though Gustavus considers its students to be incapable of self-control or anything other than blind obedience to animalistic desires and instincts.
If Gustavus has chosen to abandon its Christian heritage and mimic the debauched practices of secular colleges and universities in order to be “progressive,” so be it. But to maintain a façade of Christian commitment (especially to older, more conservative donors and naïve, unsuspecting parents) while promoting pure hedonism and unchecked sexual promiscuity is unconscionable.
Perhaps Gustavus should show a video of their freshmen orientation program at their next alumni, donor or prospective student meeting to demonstrate how well they are educating incoming students about the complicated sex life of a college coed.
Easten (Higgins) Niphakis ‘04
As a committed Christian looking in and viewing the video shown on youtube, both my husband and I were greatly disappointed in what was shown to incoming freshman students. In fact, as a committed Christian, I am very sad for you the faculty, that you would allow such a presentation to be made before incoming young freshman.
Where are the standards? It’s true, our nation, our many millions of families, and places of education have lost their moorings….you are drifting away.. sad. It takes the author of above to comment honestly and forthrightly about the spiritual condition of what happens on a Christian campus.
-very warped and you are so amazingly spiritually dead…I am glad I have viewed this. It matters not if you get a degree from a private school-you pay the big bucks for this sort of thing?!!! No thank you.
Someone had the courage to speak out. Thank you
God for him. And thanks to the above author of this
page.
Shouldn’t a Christian College nurture the Biblical Worldview?
As an alum of ’49, I am aghast of the liberalism and “postmodern” and New Age trends.
I can not support those.