As all student know, Eastern University’s mission statement is Faith, Reason and Justice. The university, through the freshman course INST 150. teaches all students what this motto means and how we can live it out. INST 150, Introduction to Faith, Reason and Justice helps students to capture the importance of each of these elements and how they work together. Within other classes, each of these ideas is incorporated in their own ways. But, does Eastern really live out its mission statement? I am going to discuss each one individually.
Faith: I believe that faith is the concept from Eastern’s mission statement that stands out most at the school. In most classes, professors incorporate faith into their teaching and course materials. Of course, it depends on the class, but each professor tries to talk about faith the most they can within the class setting. Eastern also has chapel and Windows on the World every week for students, professors and guests to attend together. Although not required, these opportunities give people the chance to engage more in their faith if they desire to. At Windows on the World, the audience is usually presented with a problem in our society and how that connects to the Christian faith. The speaker can talk about specific work they do or give the audience a Christian perspective on their topic. I believe that Eastern does a great job incorporating faith within the college community, for all students and professors to experience.
Reason: From the classes I have taken, reason is also portrayed well in the class setting. Although professors may not always state it this way, they are giving us an opportunity to think about ideas and aout how we come to conclusions. Usually, professors leave it up to students to decide what to believe. I especially notice in my communication classes that we are taught how to reason different arguments and positions. We are given facts about situations and professionals’ perspectives on the matter. Outside of classes, Eastern offers talks from different speakers and leaders regarding different topics. Many of these are at Windows on the World, but there are also other opportunities to learn. I think that Eastern’s way of connecting reason to their community is educating students and professors on topics in our world. They give us strategies to use to determine what is right or wrong and how we personally view it.
Justice: When it comes to justice, I think it depends more on what class you are taking as to whether or not it is discussed. There are definitely opportunities for students to learn and act on justice, depending on what classes they choose to take. One of the largest influences on justice at Eastern is its clubs and organizations community. There are definitely opportunities for people to get involved in certain clubs that talk about injustice and how we can fix it. A few of these clubs would include S.A.G.E., Prison Ministry, Y.A.C.H.T. and Refuge. Each club has a different way of presenting ideas to their group but all of them talk about issues that are happening in our world. When it comes to Eastern as a whole, I believe the university does a good job at talking about justice and what is unjust in our world. However, I believe they could do a better job at acting on these teachings. We have clubs like Y.A.C.H.T. and Prison Ministry who go out into the community and help those in need. For these clubs, the ones in need are the homeless and incarcerated. Yet, I believe the school could do more to fight the injustice in our world and get directly involved in issues.
Overall, I believe that Eastern University does a good job at pursuing their mission statement within the college community. Students are given opportunities to learn and educate themselves on these topics through classes and outside events. It allows people to come up with their own ideas and beliefs on issues in our world. However, there could be more done to incorporate Faith, Reason and Justice off our campus and in the larger community.