"free and open thought"

What makes a Christian college a Christian college? What detracts from the Christian-ness of the institution? What would give a college a Christian character? A religious character of any other type? If there’s anything that I’ve taken away from my religion classes here at Ursinus it’s that if a person were to try to come to grips with such loaded questions and give them concrete answers then she would dig herself into a frustratingly deep hole. To try to define ‘religion,’ ‘Christian,’ etc. is a futile task at worst and, at best, an exercise in identifying deeply personal beliefs and convictions about what these things ought to be. Here we have a bit from a regular contributor to the Weekly with his comments and feelings on Ursinus’ identity as a Christian institution and its rituals.

“Can a college have compulsory chapel and still be called a Christian college? I think not, and evidently from all reports available, some of the members of the Board of Directors have been asking the same question of themselves and have been coming up with many of the same answers.

The point of the whole situation is, can a Christian by definition, force another man to attend what is basically a church service contrary to another man’s belief. The answer, in my mind at least, is very clear. Chapel should not be compulsory two or three times a week, or even two or three times a semester; if it should be at all, it should be on a purely voluntary daily basis.

Naturally it can be argued that we accepted the ground rules, including compulsory chapel, when we came to Ursinus. In an academic institution, however, thought concerning the ground rules of everything, is supposed to be stimulated – free and open thought – without fear of punishment or threats. And, it seems to me, the powers that be, should take into consideration the thoughts of the students about chapel more than they say they are doing.

Granted, some of the ideas “we the students” come up with may irritate the smooth polish of the traditional system, but this kind of thought is what most colleges are looking for. Progress comes only when the new crosses the old and creates a hybrid, so to speak.”
(Comments & Reviews, Peek Around the Campus, Chapel, by Carl Peek, page 2, Ursinus Weekly, Vol. LXIII, No. 3, October 21, 1963)

Although Peek begins his piece by posing the bigger questions about religious identity and definition, as I read this editorial the can of worms he opens up has less to do with which religion dominates and more to do with general questions of human spirituality and conscience - specifically, can a man really force another man to participate in a ritual he doesn’t identify with or believe in in order to earn the respect and good favor of the first man? Obviously this isn’t what the founders of the College or the administrators intended, although Peek does point out that each and every UC student did sign on to the program knowing full well what was required of them.

This is the earliest editorial I have run across thus far, and it appears that Peek’s opinion and plea is almost identical to those that I’ve reported on from later years. While it seems shocking, radical, etc to write about chapel the way Peek does, all he really asks is that College personnel consider the beliefs and wishes of the students as they review chapel and its aims. Similar to Barry and Charlotte in their letter, Peek is simply acknowledging that there is a flaw in the system and that the students would appreciate the opportunity to help mend it so that it favors “free and open thought” and doesn’t alienate any member of the community.

All in all, Peek’s editorial and call for creating a hybrid is one of the most effective I’ve read. While most make suggestions that are worth consideration and some even go as far as to invoke a hostile tone (I’m [again] looking back at the letter from ‘the Refractory’), this is one of the only ones that is short, to the point, and sensitive to the established traditions.

Now, if only I knew where these reports of the Board of Directors could be found…anyone have any ideas? I don’t think that they’re in the archives.