The school year has officially ended.  Students are headed home, and the once busy campus has gotten a lot quieter.  Our focus over the past few weeks has been getting to know these students and the campus culture of UVM.  We’ve been meeting with advisors, program heads, and other campus pastors.  We’ve talked to several dozen students about their experiences at UVM.  Here are some of the things we’ve discovered:

• 39% of students said academic pressures were the biggest challenge they face.

• 35% of students said they needed help with time management and balancing studies with their social lives.

• 70% of students said it was easy or very easy to establish healthy friendships.

• There are 250 enrolled international students at UVM.  Most are in graduate programs and come from India and China. There are no ongoing support programs to help them with language and cultural challenges.

• 87% of students have never attended a religious event or meeting while in college.

These statistics reinforce what is a common perception about UVM: This is a party school where students show very little interest in formal religious expression.  Most students were not even aware of the presence of any campus ministries at UVM.

One conversation stands out most for me. I was talking to a young woman who is a freshman at UVM.  She was raised in a Baptist church, but she has not attended church or a campus ministry while at UVM.  I asked, “How easy has it been to establish healthy friendships at UVM?”  She replied, “It has been very easy to establish friendships.  But I wouldn’t call them healthy.”  I could detect a bit of sadness and regret in her voice.  My heart broke knowing that this young woman had probably made decisions she regretted.  Our prayer is that she, and other students like her, will discover love and healing through our community of faith.  We want her to know friends who desire the best for her, not just a good time.