June 26, 2008

Holy graven idol crap

Three years ago I wrote about Patrick Henry College, a very conservative school churning out graduates who were taking jobs right and left in the government. Ha! Pensacola Christian College sneers at Patrick Henry. "You're conservative? Watch us!" it says.

Of Pensacola's many rules, those dealing with male-female relationships are the most talked about. There are restrictions on when and where men and women may speak to each other. Some elevators and stairwells may be used only by women; others may be used only by men. Socializing on particular benches is forbidden. If a man and a woman are walking to class, they may chat; if they stop en route, though, they may be in trouble. Generally men and women caught interacting in any "unchaperoned area" — which is most of the campus — could be subject to severe penalties.

Those rules extend beyond the campus. A man and a woman cannot go to an off-campus restaurant together without a chaperon (usually a faculty member). Even running into members of the opposite sex off campus can lead to punishment. One student told of how a group of men and a group of women from the college happened to meet at a McDonald's last spring. Both groups were returning from the beach (they had gone to separate beaches; men and women are not allowed to be at the beach together). The administration found out, and all 15 students were expelled.

Even couples who are not talking or touching can be reprimanded. Sabrina Poirier, a student at Pensacola who withdrew in 1997, was disciplined for what is known on the campus as "optical intercourse" — staring too intently into the eyes of a member of the opposite sex. This is also referred to as "making eye babies." While the rule does not appear in written form, most students interviewed for this article were familiar with the concept.

As she tells it, Ms. Poirier was not gazing lovingly at her boyfriend; he had something in his eye. But officials didn't buy her explanation, and she and her boyfriend were both "socialed," she says.

There are three levels of official punishment at Pensacola (four, if you count expulsion). Students can be "socialed," "campused," or "shadowed." Students who are socialed are not allowed to talk to members of the opposite sex for two weeks. Those who are campused may not leave the college grounds for two weeks or speak to other campused students.

As I said when discussing Patrick Henry's graduates, I shudder to think what these kids are going to be like when they walk out of there with their shiny new degrees and have to enter the real world, where they might have to interact with people like me.

via TBogg.

Posted by Linkmeister at June 26, 2008 02:07 PM | TrackBack
Comments

My wife and I had spent 10 years or more at Pensacola Christian College. From 1989 to 1993, I earned my B.A. in Bible, and minored in Greek. From 1993 to 1995, I earned my M.A. in Biblical Exposition. From 1989 to 1994 I was employed as a work-assistance student, and from 1995 to 1999, I held positions both on the Bible Faculty and as a broadcast engineer.

We love PCC. Yet, even though we think and feel very highly for the college, we also know that it is not for everyone. Some people do not hold the high values that the college holds to. Some come from cultures and backgrounds that are alien to this genre of fundamentalism. And yes, there are some who are living in such a rebellious state against God's Word, that they couldn't tolerate the discipline.

As a father of four (2 boys and 2 girls), I would be honored to have my children attend PCC. Not because it is my Alma mater, but because I know that the school treats their students as if they were their own children. It's a rarity to find this level of concern at other schools.

Posted by: John Calvin Hall at June 28, 2008 11:30 AM