Alexander Spieldenner
Staff Writer
Franciscan University of Steubenville’s Men’s Ministry held a “Pipes and Profs” event outside the J.C. Williams Center on Sunday, allowing male professors and students to meet each other over a campfire and a few pipes.
The event was held in and around the tent outside of the J.C. Williams Center, and allowed the roughly 50 students in attendance to get to know the 10 professors present.
When they arrived, each student was greeted by free corn cob pipes that were laid out on the tables in the tent. Each pipe came with a few packing tools, a box of matches and a portion of tobacco. Outside of the tent, bonfires were lit inside of buckets. Water was also provided.
Once everyone arrived, opening remarks were made and the professors were introduced. The event, said the host, was not supposed to be an opportunity to speak academically; rather, it was an opportunity to speak with the professors about life in college, and to even ask them about struggles the students were having and to get advice.
Then, for those who had never used a pipe before, professor Brandon Dahm, who holds a doctorate in philosophy, taught everyone how to properly pack a pipe. The event then proceeded informally, with students and professors smoking and laughing together well past the scheduled 10 p.m. end time.
For the students, it provided an opportunity to meet the men that they usually just listen to in class.
Senior Joshua Feibelman said, “Events like ‘Pipes and Professors’ are a great opportunity for our professors to aid the men of Franciscan, not only in shaping their minds but in forming their masculinity. I look forward to more events of its kind in the future.”
Stephen Hildebrand, who holds a doctorate in historical theology, agreed with Feibelman.
“It was wonderful to visit with students outside the classroom and to get to know them better,” he said. “It’s natural for our common faith in Christ and devotion to him to extend beyond the academic sphere and to find expression in events like this. I think it benefits the teachers as much as the students. I’m grateful to be a part of it.”
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