University of Michigan - Michiganensian Yearbook (Ann Arbor, MI)

Page 95 text:

expectations izations and for students as individuals. Counseling, Conferences, extra-curricular act- ivities, educational information all are offered by this Office. Generally speaking, it serves as a communication service to the entire University community. For those who are interested in obtaining information about courses in religion, there is also an Interdepartmental Department of Religious Affairs. Although there is no spe- cific Department of Religion at the Univer- sity, this office coordinates all of the related courses in religion which are offered by other departments. The student does have the opportunity to become a religious studies major. The kinds of religious activities that take place on campus range from traditional services to dinner get-togethers, from com- munal households to political participation in various causes, or to just plain public aware- ness activities of an entertaining nature. For example, a familiar sight on the Diag in the Fall and Spring is the Hare Krishna organ- ization, chanting and dancing to its creed. It would be impossible to mention the over twenty-five religious and spiritual organiza- tions that exist here in Ann Arbor. But let it suffice to say that these various groups all are thriving and will continue to grow as the student body continues its search of religious experience. As we explore our own individ- uality, the quest for our own religious experience will continue as well.

Page 94 text:

man ' s great The University of Michigan brings to- gether a multitude of people from a multi- tude of backgrounds. This is especially ap- parent when it comes to the over-view of religion on the Ann Arbor campus. If there is any word that typifies the religious scene here, it is exploration . The unique atmos- phere of the campus offers a wide range of exposure to religious experiences. The stu- dent is able to examine his own true values from within this diverse, liberal atmosphere. Religion is available in its more traditional forms but also exists here in Ann Arbor in more contemporary, modern conditions as typified by the religious communal exper- ience, and by the greater interest in Eastern and occult religions. With regard to specific proportional statis- tics on how many students participate in which religions, numbers are somewhat ambiguous. U of M ' s Office of Ethics and Religion tries to coordinate a Religious Census every year but the response is quite limited. The small response is attributed more to a resistance against any bureau- cratic collection of data rather than lack of interest in religion. But even with limited data, it is obvious that there is a tremendous variety in the types of religious experiences present in Ann Arbor. Religious organizations can maintain con- tact with the University through its office of Ethics and Religion. This office coordinates a wide range of services for both these organ-

Page 96 text:

A 2 and kids As kids grow up, they no longer imperson- ate their herpes in dreams and fantasies but begin to actively imitate them in real life. They can do it because their new models are no longer adults but older kids. The focus is not so much on particular individuals as on particular life-styles. The kids that grow up in Ann Arbor, because of the proximity of the U are in a most peculiar position when it comes to absorbing new life-styles. Unlike the typical community college, the U is not iust a mirror which reflects the culture of the local youth. The U is itself the pacesetter. Yet a university so large and diverse can perhaps never be said to generate a single life-style, a flavor all its own. And so Ann Arbor kids have a wide variety of models from which to consciously or subconsciously choose. The dress, the dope, the music, and the sex life of the counter-culture, spawned and nurtured by the campus environment, com- bine to form one of the most contagious of university life styles. On any matters per- taining to the youth culture, whatever comes out of the U is the current definitive state- ment on the issue. Childhood fantasies take on an adolescent mold in the worship of university athletics- in the world of letter sweaters, fine physiques, and clothing plastered with Mich- igan insignias. High school kids get a first hand look at what can be theirs (maybe) with dedication and a competitive spirit. The intellectual life of the U is thrown upon Ann Arbor kids by the imposing presence of campus buildings and the beard- ed, bespectacled professional types who haunt them. How many out-of-town kids know that all doctors don ' t wear stetho- scopes? How many of them can visit book stores with no ' adult books, but instead with works by such strange authors as Satre, Hume, Aristotle, or Einstein? Of course, the behavior of college kids probably rubs off on most kids eventually. But those in Ann Arbor see and hear it all first. And perhaps, for good or ill, they grow up a little quicker than out-of-town kids. 92