All Christian faith-based institutions are started with the same fundamental rules: to implement the core values of Christianity into a learning environment. These places are known for welcoming all varieties of people with different backgrounds, but should they change their core values and veer away from their Christian morals to promote the school? 

Bianca Tristan, a sophomore at Baylor University, shared her opinion on Baylor’s Christian values. “I would be offended if Baylor catered their values to societal norms. Baylor is inclusive of all of their students, but if they were to switch to conform to social norms, I’d be ticked off. I pay a lot of money and travel far to come here because I value Baylor’s Christian practices,” she shared.

No student should be shunned of the opportunity to learn at an educational institution just because of what their religion is; however, schools also shouldn’t change their Biblical values to bring more popularity. If people don’t agree with the religious values of the environment, then they should find a different college. 

President Barack Obama’s White House asked Georgetown University to cover all religious symbols at the scene of the president’s economic speech at the Roman Catholic institution. The prestigious Jesuit university agreed. These actions caused the institution to receive extreme backlash.

Georgetown has been a Jesuit university since 1789 and has carried the label of a core Catholic heritage for over 200 years. The holy symbols should not be tampered with to cater to a political figure. Religious symbols such as a Crucifix are looked upon to be extremely sacred. The cross symbolizes Jesus’ endless love and shouldn’t have been avoided.

A Christian organization should not cater to political candidates or their requests. Their requests should fall secondary to the Christian mission of the institution. Georgetown’s actions display a lack of respect to the Christian community. They belittled a core Christian belief: putting God first over anything else in a person’s life. 

Sophomore Maggie Duba currently studies at the University of San Diego and described her experience as a student at a Catholic institution. “Catholicism isn’t shoved in my face when being a student here, but everyone shares the same values. Obviously there are some students that aren’t religious, but everyone respects the Catholic beliefs of the church,” she shared.

Megan Ward, a senior at Baylor University, shared her opinion on the past three years at a Baptist college. “Baylor is unapologetically Christian because of the many faith-based events they hold on campus and their openness about God’s love. All students are required to take a Chapel class as well as a Religion class,” she said.

Ward also shares how the Christ centered environment impacts her life. “I would be disappointed if Baylor began pulling away from Christianity. Without the supportive Christian atmosphere Baylor provides, it would be challenging to stay focused on my faith during the busy times of college. I enjoy being reminded of my faith daily on the Baylor campus,” she explained.

If an institution is faith-based, they should be proud to represent their religious values. Although the world goes through many changes including political figures, laws and generations, Christianity dates back thousands of years, and it is imperative for the history to be preserved.