Franciscan University Of Steubenville

[IcePrincessKRS]

From what I have seen (I never attended FUS, but I live in Steubenville) both Polar and Fides are right, my friend who doesn't really like it there basically (along with the reason I mentioned previously) dislikes it for the same reasons as Fides, but she acknowledges the good things too--its not enough to sway her from wanting to go home and that she's rather be elsewhere, but the school does have its upsides, too.

[phatcatholic]

[color=green][b]--CALLING ALL INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE RECIEVED A GRADUATE THEOLOGY DEGREE--[/b][/color]

i need help in [url="http://phorum.phatmass.com/index.php?showtopic=17594"][b]this thread[/b][/url]

[hopeful1]

[quote name='Fides_et_Ratio' date='Aug 9 2004, 03:59 PM'] I'm a student there now. I hate it. Long story. But I'll be in Austria this fall! So who knows, I just might not come back! [/quote]
Really!? I have a friend that just graduated there last month and he's teaching at my old catholic high school. everytime i ask him about school up there he doesn't say much about it, other that it's ok, and i know he's been over to Austria at least twice (and graduated a year early!). I don't know much about the story behind it, but i heard someone say he wasn't too happy over there and almost transferred out after his freshman year. maybe now that he's home i can find out more about what happened, but my guess is that his story isn't too different from yours.

[hopeful1]

i guess in response to polar, ice princess, and fides, that all makes sense. and probably what my friend went through, i'll still have to ask tho.

[Fides_et_Ratio]

[quote name='p0lar_bear' date='Aug 10 2004, 11:47 AM'] Also, I don’t recall any inappropriate “ad-libbing” by the priests, who, to my knowledge, are all very faithful, orthodox priests who love the Church and would not be inclined to disobey any directive. [/quote]
It is/was a problem. I addressed it with Father Mike Scanlan in a private meeting I had with him to discuss my "issues" with the University. (and eventually again with two other well known priests)... LOL, I'm sure if you asked any of them, and mentioned my real name, they'd remember in a heartbeat .



Also, I will agree with you that not EVERYONE on campus fits the people I described. But they are many. It was VERY overwhelming for me to see that, when I had been assured over and over again how wonderfully Catholic every single person on that campus is... It is my opinion that the University puts out a false perception of itself in SOME aspects of campus life, etc.

But there are good things about it.. I mean, obviously I'm still there. And I'm going to Austria this next semester... and if I can get off campus after that, I'll stay.

Edited August 11, 2004 by Fides_et_Ratio

[Soldier4Him]

Wow.

[p0lar_bear]

I don't think the "hyper Catholics" and such are the majority, I just think they tend to be a loud minority.

I did have trouble with certain elements on campus, so I understand where Fides_et_Ratio is coming from on some of this. It seems that while the people who do fit into the categories we have mentioned are by far not the majority, they can seem like it. There is a general feeling of it, but if you actually talk to most people, they are part of it....I don't know if that makes any sense...

I don't know how to counter what she has said without seeming to devalue or diminish her experience....I guess I'll just give some of my experience...

I don't want people getting the impression that campus life is horrible. I loved campus life and stayed on campus my senior year rather than move off because I loved it. The vast majority of the people I knew (and I had a wide circle of friends) didn't get drunk (several drank, but they were of age, so that's not an issue). The majority did not smoke (not that smoking is a sin). The majority went to daily Massat least once a week, but wouldn't push if someone didn't. While they cared about other people's spiritual lives (in a good way), few aside from my close friends (who had that right) would question mine or criticize anything in it.

I spent most of my time with some great friends who were wonderful, faithful, and well-adjusted people.


If you go there expecting a bunch of saints, you will be disappointed and disallusioned. If you go there expected a bunch of college kids who, while suseptible to the pitfalls common to that age, are wroking towards holiness, you will find it.

Think about it, the phatmass community is, by and large, rather young. Without naming names, we have had most of the elements here on phatmass that have been described at Franciscan. We have rigorist/extremist people. We have people who are more 'charismatic.' We have people who are generally orthodox but struggle with certain elements (with both "traditionalist" and "liberal" leanings). We have people who don't really know what they believe and those who are easily swayed. We have people who go back and forth as to whether they care about their faith. And those who reject the faith completely (not as many of those on campus...). Because it is an internet forum, there aren't people who are forced to be here, but we do have the occassional visitor who could fall into the rebellious-type category.

You'll find those elements at pretty much every Catholic college or Catholic campus center. What you have at Franciscan is all the normal spectrum of Catholic youth, but it is intensified because of the sheer number and proximity.

Don't be discouraged by the experience of a couple people. Franciscan is a great school and has a good campus life. Like anything, what you get out of it has a lot to do with what you bring in and how you relate to what you find there.

[Fides_et_Ratio]

p0lar, I don't mean to make FUS sound absolutely terrible. I do admit that classes are awesome.

And I do have a group of friends that I hang out with who are uber great, and I know that I'd be missing a lot if I hadn't met them at school. I know not everyone is in the "wild crowd" at FUS, but that crowd is a lot bigger than I thought it'd be. i.e. I never expected to wake up Saturday morning to a group of drunk girls puking all down the hallway--TWICE!. I even knew one of the girls. We played basketball together and made a great team. It wasn't like I had to completely avoid people on campus. I just didn't expect to have to deal with stuff like that.

Maybe it was just me. But I had a totally different idea of FUS, and when I got there. It was completely different. Completely. It's just certain aspects of campus life that I don't like. Not all of it. I mean, I liked living on a hall with 20 other people. It was great! My "group" of friends all lived in my dorm (same floor) for the most part... and it was great to just be able to walk down the hall to hang out. But my dorm had problems with people being dirty/gross (and I'm a total clean freak) and it was just bad. But the RAs and RD said my floor was the worst, and this year was the worst it's ever been with the cleanliness situation. I like the idea of households, and the group that I hang out with almost started our own. But some of the households are a little clique-ish & preoccupied with "their space"... and sometimes even took over the common room even when other people had signed up for it (but, since they were a household, they needed it more). I also had to deal with a roommate who thought, and had no problem telling me that my family was going to Hell because they're not practicing Catholics, and along with that, I got all sorts of "pity" from so many people because a) my family's not practicing, and b) I don't have a big Catholic family, so they all assumed I didn't know what family was like. You know, it may very well be that everyone in my family is going to Hell, but you know, that's God deal, not mine. I live my life, they live theirs, they make their own choices. I can't force them to do anything. It's God's call, and I'll leave it up to Him.
It was just things like that, I didn't think I was going to have to deal with so much at FUS. But I will admit, most of my disappointments came because I was expecting too much. I just thought FUS would be different than it is. If I had gone there not expecting anything, I think it's safe to say that I probably wouldn't be so hard on campus life. But I don't know. I was just expecting different things.



I know and am good friends with two graduates (well, 3 now) and they all are great Catholics, I learn tons from them all the time (one is a youth minister, the other is a priest). But neither seemed to have quite the same experience I did when I was there. Sure, there were a few oddballs when they were there, but FUS seems to have changed a lot since either of them were students (one graduated in '98 and the other in '00).

But like I said, classes are great, the professors are great. I learned so much while I was there, and did great in my classes. They weren't too easy, but nor were they way over my head. And some of the talks hosted by some of the professors were awesome! I went to a lot of those. And it's great that professors try and get students involved outside of the classroom. I know the philosophy department and theology department held some really interesting lectures/talks by special guests when people didn't have classes. And professors were always more than willing to meet with students during office hours, and often encouraged students to show up during their office hours. And I know my academic advisor was great... and always very helpful.

It just depends on what you're looking for. And again, if I can get off campus, I will (most definitely), and then I'd stay at FUS. And I'd be avoiding what I don't like about the school. It'd be great. And so that's the plan.

[Theoketos]

[quote name='FutureNunJMJ' date='Aug 9 2004, 01:43 PM']I want to go to a Catholic College...  Right now I'm at a UCC College...

I want to take some Theo![/quote]
*Gives some of himself in prayer*

Benedictine College is a good place to go as well...plug

[Apotheoun]

I didn't really "transfer" there, because I did my undergrad work at SF State University. But I'm working on my MA in theology there now.

By the way, it's a great Catholic school, and the theology professors take the Oath of Fidelity to the Magisterium.

Edited August 11, 2004 by Apotheoun

[IcePrincessKRS]

[quote name='Apotheoun' date='Aug 11 2004, 03:04 PM']
By the way, it's a great Catholic school, and the theology professors take the Oath of Fidelity to the Magisterium. [/quote]
Thats one thing that I wonder about... why [b][i]only[/i][/b] the Theology professors? At Christendom ALL of the professors take the Oath every year.

[p0lar_bear]

All the teachers are required to take the oath of fidelity every year.

[Madonna]

I used to feel about Franciscan how Jillian feels, and I now am more at how polar_bear views it.

I do not attend Franciscan now, but that is because, like Jillian, I was disillusioned to how it would be. That all came before I finished filling out my application though.

All I can say is I'm hungry for a really good theology/philosophy class. I am not longer on top of these subjects as I used to be, and I do not receive instruction in them at my public university.

[Apotheoun]

[quote name='IcePrincessKRS' date='Aug 11 2004, 12:13 PM'] Thats one thing that I wonder about... why [b][i]only[/i][/b] the Theology professors? At Christendom ALL of the professors take the Oath every year. [/quote]
Technically I think only the theology professors have to take the Oath of Fidelity, all professors, at least in my opinion, should make the Profession of Faith. But I believe the requirement to get the [i]Mandatum[/i] only applies to those person's teaching theology.

God bless,
Todd

P.S. - Since there were only two new professors when I entered the school last August and both were in the Theology Department, it is possible, that other professors take it as well. But as I said above, technically speaking, I think canon law and [i]Ex Corde Ecclesia[/i] only require those teaching Catholic theology to take the Oath. But I'd have to investigate the matter to be absolutely sure.

[IcePrincessKRS]

[quote name='p0lar_bear' date='Aug 11 2004, 03:18 PM'] All the teachers are required to take the oath of fidelity every year. [/quote]
Really? Everyone I talk to always says its just the Theo. professors! I think its great if all of them do.

Thanks for the info Apotheon, that makes alot of sense!

Edited August 11, 2004 by IcePrincessKRS