By Nathanael Check
Columnist
Households are the student trademark of Franciscan University, and while they might not be for everyone, an argument can be made that more students ought to give them a try.
Roughly half of the Franciscan University student body is in a household. One out of every two people you know is in one.
Even if you’re not in a household, you cannot help avoiding them. Their presence is everywhere: hoodies, bake sales, dances, commitments, intent challenges and of course – Lord’s Days.
Yet half of the student body is not in a household, and there must be a reason why. With such an even split, it is worth noting the reasons commonly held by the other 50 percent for not joining up.
Perhaps the chief objection to joining a household is the time commitment. Students in college are busy.
An average 15 credit-hour course load means a total of 45 hours a week dedicated to academics per the college studying rule-of-thumb.
For students who take more than 15 credit hours, which is more common than you might think, the week is even busier.
Tack on other extracurriculars, eating, spending time with friends, prayer time and you have one busy week. Where is the time for households?
The other objection that households face is a bit vaguer: “Households just aren’t for me.” What students mean by this varies, but from having a well-established routine to just feeling plain weird about households and their doings, students who maintain this position are pretty hard to convince.
Nevertheless, most students should, at least, spend some time looking into households. Here’s why:
First, for better or for worse, half of the student body is in a household. By writing households off, you don’t share in the college experience that half of your peers partake in.
What’s the big deal? Well, the household community upholds the general atmosphere of friendship on campus.
That’s not to say that it’s hard to have friends apart from households, but that they are beneficial to the formation of genuine human connections on campus.
In addition, households help the student in the formation of his spiritual life. This end is at the center of Franciscan education, which is incomplete without it.
Again, such an end can be met apart from households, but joining one demonstrably helps students attain virtue.
The sacrifices necessary to join household life and the responsibilities attached ought not be viewed as negatives either, but as opportunities to grow and mature. They help develop life skills like time management and fulfilling obligations.
While not necessary to Franciscan student life, the household system purports to enhance the student experience at FUS, and I think that it can make good on that promise for most students here.