Today’s College Students Not Prepared for Life Outside of Classroom
Contact: Christine Schicker 678-990-9032 ext. 110, cell 404-610-8871; Steve Ruthsatz 678-990-9032 ext. 113, cell 404-520-8870
DENVER, Colo., Aug. 29 /Christian Newswire/ -- As colleges and universities across the country open their doors for another academic year, students face a challenging paradigm on the modern campus. Where morals, ethics and leadership were once a focus of university education, students are now often left to find their own way amidst growing social pressures.
In today’s complicated society, college students in their teens and early twenties are away from their parents for the first time and forced to make many tough decisions, particularly when it comes to social issues. Students routinely come in contact with moral and ethical dilemmas where they have to make a choice in this age of quick fixes and one-step solutions.
Some of the problems on today’s college campuses include dealing with relationships, promiscuous sex, binge drinking, drug use, credit card debt, depression and gambling, just to name a few. The Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS), a national student outreach organization, asserts that colleges and universities are not allocating enough resources to help students make the adjustment to collegiate life and to becoming moral and ethical leaders in society upon graduation.
“Universities house America’s most vital natural resource—our children, who are tomorrow’s leaders,” Curtis A. Martin, president of FOCUS, said. “In the past generation, universities have become very challenging, at times even corrosive, places. God has been removed from the classrooms and the campus. We know that our sons and daughters will make better decisions if the light of Christ helps to inform their choices. There is a battle for the campuses of America because that it where our future lays. As Catholics, we need to make every effort to reclaim the campus for truth, and as Christians we know that Jesus Christ is the truth.
“Parents spend 18 years preparing to send their children off to college. We must realize that to thrive, much less survive college, you need a game plan: financially, academically, socially and spiritually. If you fail to plan, you will plan to fail.”
Founded in 1998, FOCUS is a national student outreach organization serving both secular and Catholic college campuses. Through small group Bible studies, large group leadership training and one-on-one mentoring, FOCUS uses the teachings of Christ and the faith and moral traditions of the Catholic Church to help college students develop the skills to face the challenges of campus life and beyond. FOCUS has active groups on 27 campuses in 15 states.
Martin, also the founder of FOCUS, has a master’s degree in Theology and is a co-author of Boys to Men: The Transforming Power of Virtue. He is also a contributing author of the popular Catholic for a Reason series. Martin has written articles for The Journal for the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars, Couple to Couple League and Catholic Dossier, and was awarded the inaugural Excellence in Evangelization award by Envoy magazine.
