By Julie Peterson
News and Information Services

The University needs to reintegrate elements of religion, ethics and values into campus life, agreed panelists and other participants in a day-long conference titled "The Role of Religion and Ethics in Transforming the University."

More than 100 students, faculty, staff, administrators and community members attended the public session, held Oct. 26 in the Michigan League. Len Scott, liaison for ethics and religion in the Office of the Dean of Students, chaired the planning committee that organized the session, billed as a "day of dialogue."

President James J. Duderstadt, in opening remarks, noted that the University has had "a long history and tradition of embracing religious studies and discussion," dating back to its founding in 1817 by a Presbyterian minister and a Roman Catholic priest.

Panelist Maureen A. Hartford, vice president for student affairs, noted that more recently the University has struggled with the role of religion in the classroom and in campus life. The outcome of the 1960s, she said, was a world that became uncomfortable with the word "values." She added: "We're partially responsible for the 'me generation' of the 1980s; in the '70s, we turned out graduates with little sense of social responsibility."

That lack of moral guidance is particularly problematic for students who are "on the cusp between childhood and adulthood" Hartford said. "This is a very vulnerable time in their lives. It's also a time when many students become disconnected from their traditional supports"

Several panelists cited the need for more study and discussion among students, both within and outside of the classroom, of the world's religions. Ralph Williams, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor and professor of English, asserted that although "It's a useful and humanizing thing to know of others religions rather than simply presenting information about a religion, it is necessary that "we feel its warmth, its force.

Yet, he acknowledged, "this is a hugely dangerous area because it is the site of division as well as union" and that "exploration must, take place without creating the impression among students that they are being directed toward any one set of beliefs.

The panelists identified the existence of a core set of values-distillations of the ethical teachings of the world's religions-as the source of principles all students should consider.

Regent Laurence B. Deitch also referred to the U-M Statement of Student Rights and Responsibilities, which he termed "a moral and ethical guide" that should be given to incoming students as a contract under which they agree to a common set of values and standard of behavior.

Vince Keenan, chair of student rights in the Michigan Student Assembly, responded that any code of ethical behavior must be agreed upon by those affected, rather than imposed from above.

Suggestions offered by participants included:
¤  Expand the scholarly study of religion and ethical values; establish a doctoral program in religious studies.
¤  Provide increased financial support for student religious organizations.
¤  Revive the Student Council on Religion, which existed during the 1940s, as a group that provides a vehicle for students to speak to the administration in an advisory capacity.