A college campus, with its various temptations, might not seem like an ideal breeding ground for a devout religious lifestyle -- especially a religion outside of the traditional mold. Still, many Dartmouth students exploreand even adopt lesser represented religions at the College.
Shayan Ghosh '07, a member of the Hindu student group Shanti, said he did not identify himself as Hindu before he came to Dartmouth. Hinduism made a lot more sense to him after a few months at the College, he said.
"I am Hindu per definition because I was born into a Hindu family," he said. "It was only after coming to Dartmouth that I identified as a Hindu."
Practicing his faith is fulfilling, Ghosh said, because the average college lifestyle is devoid of spirituality.
"The need for the spiritual is suddenly highlighted when you are in an environment which values the materialistic so much," he said. "The work hard, play hard lifestyle at Dartmouth forced spirituality to be an important anchor in my life. Ironically, the generally irreligious college culture is what made me turn to Hinduism more."
Elyse George '09, a recent convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was baptized into the church six months ago, midway through her junior year.
"I love being a member of the church," she said. "My ward is like an extended family -- I have many moms and dads and grandparents and brothers and sisters, all who ask me constantly if I need their help."
All LDS families participate in a weekly Family Home Evening -- a church-wide ritual in which families gather together in their homes to participate in activities like playing board games or watching movies together. The Latter-day Saint Student Association, which consists of 10 undergraduates, including George, meets weekly for its own Family Home Evening.
"Since we are all away from our families, we do this together -- we are each other's family at Dartmouth," George said.
On Tuesdays, LDSSA members attend a weekly scripture study class run by the Church Education Service. These institutes are run for 18- to 30-year-old Latter-day Saints all over the world, according to George.
"Being a member of the LDSSA helps me to stay focused on my faith throughout the week when I'm not at church," she said.
The LDSSA is one of more than 25 religious groups overseen by the William Jewett Tucker Foundation.
To gain recognition for a religious organization, students must submit a petition with a minimum of 10 interested students' signatures to the Tucker Foundation and identify an advisor for their group, according to College Chaplain Richard Crocker. Though these advisors are not required to practice the group's religion, they usually do, Crocker said. Some Jewish and Christian groups have full-time chaplains, but most religious groups function under the guidance of their advisers.
Recognized student religious groups are not financed by the College and must do their own fund raising, which can be especially challenging for smaller groups that cannot find larger organizations in the area to sponsor them.
"Funding is an issue for all religious groups, since no religious group is funded by the College," Crocker said. "If they need $100 for some activity, they can apply for a grant from my office, but they are ineligible for funding by the [Council on Student Organizations]."
During Green Key weekend, the Dartmouth Quaker Student Fellowship and Al-Nur, the Dartmouth Muslim student association, organized a coffee and dessert discussion for the two groups to discuss their faiths. Lauren Lesser '10, a member of the Student Quaker Fellowship, said she enjoyed describing her religion while simultaneously learning about someone else's.
"We talked about our faiths and got a chance to hang out with some really nice, really interesting students and learn about a different community," she said. "For me, spending three hours on a Friday night learning about the beauty of others' faiths was a fantastic way to spend an evening."
For Lesser, religion provides an outlet that adds to her college experience, she said.
"It means taking time to remove yourself from the context of just being a student," Lesser said. "Regardless of how religious a person is or wants to be in college, religious groups and interfaith events are a great way to balance the busy Dartmouth life."
Lindsay Borrows '10, an LDSSA member, said that practicing her faith on campus has also been fairly uncomplicated.
"I find it extremely easy to incorporate my faith into my college lifestyle," she said. " It's hard to get very stressed and unhappy about grades, media, parties and other aspects of the typical 'college life' when you're looking at life from an eternal perspective. In the long run, there are far more important things."
George agreed, although she said other students find it harder to understand.
"We don't drink or smoke, we don't do work on Sundays -- including homework -- we don't spend money on Sundays, we dress modestly, we don't curse, we don't drink coffee or tea, and we have strict standards of chastity," she said. "I guess all of these things would be in some way contrary to aspects of Dartmouth culture, and most people don't understand why we have such standards for ourselves."
Maurice Navarro '10, also a member of the LDSSA, said that practicing his faith does not prohibit him from enjoying his Dartmouth experience.
"While it is true that several forms of entertainment at Dartmouth do not harmonize with the lifestyle of a Latter-day Saint, there are other ways to have fun," he said. "There's always something to do that does not find itself in the basement of a frat."
Ghosh said that, even though people may find it hard to understand his faith, that does not mean they are not accepting of it.
"It is somewhat difficult to explain Hinduism to people, as it doesn't fit neatly into the Judeo-Christian model most Americans are familiar with," he said. "The people at Dartmouth, however, are generally very supportive of my religion and culture, and are often very interested in knowing more."
Representatives from the Baha'i student group, the Buddhist and Zen meditation group and members of the Christian Scientists student group were unavailable for comment.
