Eastern University has seen a lot of growth in the last few years; with skyrocketing enrollment rates, development of new online programs and the acquisition of more land, students and university officials continue to adapt to the myriad changes. As the university continues to re-evaluate its programs and initiatives, it was only a matter of time before the motto came into question.
“It’s hard to create a mission statement for such a diverse student body,” Missy Bryant, Vice President for Student Engagement, said. “For years, our mission statement has catered to the traditional undergraduate experience, but the reality is that our population is so much more than that group now. It’s time we ask ourselves what we want to be moving forward.”
“I don’t get to be involved with the campus life as much, but it feels like I’m able to be included in more of the university’s mission and goals now that justice is no longer such a driving force,” a student in the newly founded Master of AI program said. “Like, what does justice even mean for my degree? That’s not something people in my field are really focused on right now.”
Response from the university has been mixed. Representatives from the Templeton Honors College cited concerns about being rooted in tradition, worrying about a disconnect in the current student body from the university’s history and alumni. We tried reaching out to Equal Justice Initiative founder and university alum Bryan Stevenson, but he declined to comment on the change. The marketing department was less concerned about the change, citing their change in focus three years ago from the “Faith, Reason, Justice” motto to the catchier “Courage To ___,” which means practically nothing but encourages students to apply.
Dropping Justice from the mission statement isn’t just about recruitment and online students, though. Even on-campus students have noticed a change in campus culture and drive.
“To be honest, I didn’t even know this was a Christian university,” one student athlete said when told about the change. “I’m surprised they decided to drop justice rather than faith.”
“I’m not too worried about the change!” another student said. “I think faith is really the only thing that matters. In fact, that’s why I never really got involved with our justice organizations; I have perfect faith that everything will work out. I say we get rid of reason while we’re at it. Why do we need it if we don’t have something to think about doing?”
Some of the strongest pushback has come from the university’s Social Work and Sociology departments, saying they feel abandoned by and horrified about the newest change. When speaking to Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Kenton Sparks, though, it appeared that their dissent might not last long.
“Did we not move those programs online already?” he asked Executive Assistant Amy Schreiber. After a quick shake “no,” he said, “Oh, I thought we would’ve done that before this announcement. Well, the point is that their time as our community’s focus is no longer now, and they’re simply part of a smaller closing necessary for the larger change to come.”
Administration plans to host two town halls for students regarding the change at the end of April. They will take place online and will be hosted by the marketing team. Before then, students are encouraged to send emails to President Matthews with any thoughts or concerns they have about the upcoming change.
