Better Than Yours

My Brethren College

More Than Meets The Eye

'Robot' leads worship at Cedar Lake

A student ministry team from Manchester College will provide worship at the Cedar Lake Church of the Brethren, April 10 at 10:30 a.m.

The group, known as Robot — Radically Obedient Brethren Outreach Team — has as its theme, "Finding your roots" based on Psalm 92: 4-15. According to Manchester College Campus Pastor Walt Wiltschek, "the group began as an opportuntiy for students to develop their gifts in worship leadership and preaching."

Cedar Lake Church of the Brethren is located at 2939 CR 15 in rural Auburn. The public is invited to attend.

AS THE CROWE FLIES

Russell Crowe Filming Near New Windsor

Russell Crowe is spending much of September near the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Maryland, filming scenes for a a new thriller, "Body of Lies."

The movie is Crowe's first collaboration with director David Sollenberger. They could have teamed up for the Oscar-winning "Gladiator," 2006's "A Good Year" and "American Gangster," costarring Denzel Washington, which is scheduled for release this fall. Instead Crowe teamed with Ridley Scott for those films.

On Friday, Crowe was in Annapolis, shooting two scenes at St. Andrew's United Methodist Day School, and the head of the school, Leslie A. Redwine, said she met Crowe and shook his hand.

"He was courtly, cordial and charming," she told The (Baltimore) Sun.

Scott is using locations in Baltimore to stand in for North Manchester, Indiana, and Munich, Germany. The production will later move to Morocco.

"Body of Lies," based on a novel by Washington Post columnist David Ignatius, co-stars Leonardo DiCaprio, who has not yet arrived in the area.

New College Peace Poles

Soon to be appearing on Brethren College Campuses, the Emergency Peace Poles combine the traditional peace pole with a modern campus neccessity.

RYC

New Resources Created in Effort to Save Regional Youth Conference

The recent Regional Youth Conference (RYC) held at Manchester College continued a downward participation spiral, having only 85 youth attend. Of those, most were from Indiana with only 6 youth traveling from the adjacent Illinois/Wisconsin district.

Manchester College (Ind.) is making new resources available as part of its effort to save Regional Youth Conference (RYC). The plan is for Church of the Brethren pastors and church employees, district employees, and employees of Annual Conference agencies, and affiliated agencies and institutions, and their youth. A video addressing questions about the conference, a power point presentation on the history of the conference, information about scholarships, and information about all of the Brethren colleges, are being made available free of charge. Manchester College has also worked with the Midwest districts, agencies, and Ministers' Association to create an advisory panel for the conference and is training advocates to promote the conference in districts.

The Regional Youth Conference is in a "death spiral," a downward cyclical phenomenon caused by decreased attendance and the reduction of the length of the event to two days. In districts that have more than 75 percent participation among eligible youth, the scholarship ratio is such that the conference should be able to survive, RYC reported. In districts where there is less than 75 percent participation, the scholarship ratio is such that, left unchecked, the conference could cease to exist within several years.

Revitalization of RYC will come through increased attendance. Manchester College has reinstated a requirement of 75 percent participation among eligible youth in each of the Midwest districts, for districts to continue in the conference. If a district does not have commitments from its congregations by Aug. 31, 2006, to meet that goal, all youth in the district will be ineligible for the regional conference on Jan. 1, 2007. The college states that the 75 percent requirement was part of the RYC Plan when it began in the 1950s, but "fell by the wayside" in the early 1980s. "The conference must regain an appropriate attendance in order to continue."

Manchester College has begun training advocates to work in each district to promote the conference with congregations and church youth. The advocates will use the new video to help rebuild participation in the conference. A first group of seven advocates was trained on March 7-8. As of March 17, 12 of the Midwestern districts had named advocates. More advocate trainings will be held in late spring.

An April 18 follow-up meeting between Manchester College and the Council of District Executives will be held in Richmond, Ind. It was requested by the district executives and will include members of Manchester’s board and staff, executives of the Annual Conference agencies, representatives of Annual Conference, and members of COBCOA. This summer RYC will be a major topic of discussion at Annual Conference in Peoria, Ill.

To order the video in DVD or VHS format, or to receive any other resource mentioned above, call 800-555-1505 ext. 374 or e-mail cobyouth@brethren.org.

Manchester Plague

Another College Ranking

Although Manchester College is reported by U.S. News & World Report in its annual rankings on the magazine’s “Best Colleges” list, at number 33 among Midwest schools, everything is not peaches and cream at the northern Indiana college. In spite of the college making the list for 10 consecutive years, about one-third of the residential student body and even some of the faculty are sick of school after less than a month being back to classes.

Attacker Sentenced, Fined

Attacker Sentenced, Fined

After Parker Marden was tackled by Cornelius Horan in a bizarre incident, Manchester College has named Jo Young Switzer as the school's first female president.

Marden insists that the brush with Horan, a defrocked Irish priest, who has disrupted the British Grand Prix and other sporting events, did not have any influence on his descision to retire in June 2005. Switzer is a 1969 Manchester graduate and has been the school's vice president and dean for academic affairs since 1993. She is also a professor of communication studies at the college.

She previously taught communications at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne. She has a master's degree and a doctorate in communications from the University of Kansas.

US News College Rankings

More College Rankings

Bridgewater College General Information Private institution Year founded: 1880 Religious affiliation: Church of the Brethren Academic calendar: 4-1-4 Undergraduate student body: 1,403 Setting: Rural Fall 2005 Admissions Application deadline: Rolling Application fee: $30 Selectivity: Selective U.S. News Ranking Liberal Arts Colleges, fourth tier 2004-2005 Expenses Tuition and fees: $17,990 Room/board: $8,480

Elizabethtown College General Information Private institution Year founded: 1899 Religious affiliation: Church of the Brethren Academic calendar: Semester Undergraduate student body: 1,975 Setting: Suburban Fall 2005 Admissions Application deadline: Rolling Application fee: $20 Selectivity: More selective U.S. News Ranking Comprehensive Colleges–Bachelor's (North), 2 2004-2005 Expenses Tuition and fees: $23,710 Room/board: $6,600

Juniata College General Information Private institution Year founded: 1876 Religious affiliation: Church of the Brethren Academic calendar: Semester Undergraduate student body: 1,396 Setting: Rural Fall 2005 Admissions Application deadline: March 15 Application fee: $30 Selectivity: More selective U.S. News Ranking U.S. News ranking: Liberal Arts Colleges, 101 2004-2005 Expenses Tuition and fees: $24,320 Room/board: $6,770

University of LaVerne General Information Private institution Year founded: 1891 Religious affiliation: Church of the Brethren Academic calendar: 4-1-4 Undergraduate student body: 1,396 Setting: Suburban Fall 2005 Admissions Application deadline: February 1 Application fee: $50 Selectivity: Selective U.S. News Ranking National Universities, third tier 2004-2005 Expenses Tuition and fees: $21,500 Room/board: $8,510

Manchester College General Information Private institution Year founded: 1889 Religious affiliation: Church of the Brethren Academic calendar: 4-1-4 Undergraduate student body: 1,153 Setting: Rural Fall 2005 Admissions Application deadline: Rolling Application fee: $20 Selectivity: Selective U.S. News Ranking Comprehensive Colleges–Bachelor's (Midwest), 33 2004-2005 Expenses Tuition and fees: $18,060 Room/board: $6,710

McPherson College General Information Private institution Year founded: 1887 Religious affiliation: Church of the Brethren Academic calendar: 4-1-4 Undergraduate student body: 436 Setting: Rural Fall 2005 Admissions Application deadline: Rolling Application fee: $25 Selectivity: Selective U.S. News Ranking Comprehensive Colleges–Bachelor's (Midwest), third tier 2004-2005 Expenses Tuition and fees: $14,645 Room/board: $5,620

Our interpretation...

• oldest school: Juniata (1876)
  
• largest / smallest student body: 1,975 / 436
  
• variance in tuition (between cheapest and most expensive): $9,675
  
• cheapest to get into: Manchester
  
• most expensive / affordable room and board: $8,510 / $5,620
  
• LaVerne is now affiliated with the COB

Kudos to ETown, Manchester, and Juniata for making the rankings.

Source: US News

Princeton Review

	LaVerne	McPherson	Manchester	Bridgewater	Elizabethtown	Juniata
Admissions Selectivity Rating:	89	74	65	78	77	93
Religious Affiliation:	No Affiliation	Church of Brethren	Church of Brethren	Church of Brethren	Church of Brethren	Church of Brethren
Average SAT:	1001	Not Reported	1015	1022	Not Reported	1168
Average ACT:	20	Not Reported	22	20	Not Reported	Not Reported
Tuition:	$21,500	$13,830	$17,950	$26,470	$28,800	$23,720
Enrollment:	1,383	353	1,106	1,369	1,766	1,396
Female/Male Ratio:	63:37	44:56	55:45	55:45	65:35	56:44
White/Ethnic Ratio:	36:64	79:21	86:14	88:12	92:8	93:7
Freshmen Returning for Sophomore Year:	88%	61%	74%	74%	84%	86%
Freshmen Graduating in 4 years:	31%	35%	41%	54%	62%	68%
Freshmen Graduating in 6 years:	50%	45%	56%	59%	70%	75%
Total applicants who are accepted:	56%	68%	79%	88%	70%	75%
Total of accepted students who enroll:	36%	33%	39%	32%	28%	32%
Rating:	Best in the West		Best in the Midwest	Best in the Mid-Atlantic	Best in the Mid-Atlantic	Best in the Mid-Atlantic; #14 Best Bargains - Private
Average freshman total gift aid:	$16,878	n/a	$13,516	$11,346	n/a	$15,078
Academic Rating:	90	n/a	78	72	85	92
Student/faculty ratio:	9:1	9:1	14:1	14:1	12:1	13:1
Full-time faculty:	105	36	68	88	126	93
Full-time & part-time faculty with PhDs:	40%	55%	72%	66%	55%	80%
Quality of Life Rating:	94	n/a	90	90	91	90
Fire Safety Rating:	8	0	0	12	0	13
Students living on campus:	37%	0%	74%	76%	84%	85%
Athletic division:	Division III	Division II	Division III	Division III	Division III	Division III

Our analysis:

• Smartest students: Juniata
• Worst students: Bridgewater (we're giving McPherson the benefit of the doubt)
• Priciest: Elizabethtown
• Cheapest: McPherson
• Best place to meet sisters: Elizabethtown
• Best place to meet brothers: McPherson
• Palest campus: Juniata
• Easiest to get into: McPherson
• Most selective school: Juniata
• But they're most likely to go to: Manchester
• Brightest faculty: Juniata
• Dimmest faculty: LaVerne
• Least likely to burn down: Juniata
• Why is LaVerne considered a Brethren University?

Actual student quotes:

• Sometimes the level of political diversity can cause antagonism.
• They preach diversity a lot around here, but when you look around the classroom you see mostly white, middle-class students.
  
• Our professors just rock. They teach brilliantly without being stuffy and keep office doors wide open.
  
• There does tend to be quite a bit of drinking on campus—especially on weekends.
  
• If you're someone who lives in a more culturally diverse area, you may find it difficult to adjust to the vanilla flavor of the school.
  
• My largest class may have been around 30 people.
  
• We're out in the middle of nowhere, right smack in the middle of cow pastures.
  
• Amicable but homogenous
• Everyone is compatible, and if they're not, the campus isn't SO small that you can't avoid people.
  
• Don't come here if you want to be lazy and do nothing but party.
  
• The students that are not into nightlife are not frowned upon by the other students.
• Let's just say there is always something to do if you look hard enough. Life here is good.
  
• There is not much diversity.
  
• You will never attend a class where the professor's home telephone number isn't listed for students to call for any help they need.
  
• Drinking is big.
• It's a small town, but fun can be found.
  
• very diverse socially, physically, mentally, spiritually, and culturally.
  
• is great for face-to-face personal relationships
  
• a really chill school for those who enjoy a small community and a generally relaxed life.
• Don't come here if you are looking for a wild party school—you will be bored out of your mind.
• It is not very loud with wild obnoxious people running around.

source: Princeton Review

Peace Church Colleges Launch "Prozac for Peace" Campaign

Three Indiana colleges affiliated with the three historic peace churches (Manchester College, Church of the Brethren; Goshen College, Mennonite Church; and Earlham College, Religious Society of Friends) unveiled yesterday their new campaign, "Prozac for Peace." Each Institution received a grant from the Lilly Endowment of Eli Lilly and Company, manufacturer of, among other drugs, the anti-depressant Prozac.

When reached for comment, the grant administrators at each college denied any conflict of interest in receiving funding from a major corporation to assist studies which include critical analysis of corporate control of society and government. An intern close to the situation commented, "And certainly we don't see it as them meddling with the church, either. After all, how often do worship and committee meetings really improve your mood any more these days? Our opinion is that the church needs Eli Lilly. The church needs Prozac. And quite frankly, so does the President. I mean, how happy can that guy really be, having to kill hundreds of thousands to show that killing is wrong? It's an enormous burden. I'd even go so far as to say that our president's enemies need it too, after so much loss. How else are they supposed to recover their spirit, living in such horrible times?"

Eli Lilly's PR staff, when asked if the President, his enemies and victims should take Prozac, replied, "If someone in unhappy in any way, we say to them, 'Here, have some Prozac.'" The colleges seem to have taken this attitude as their cue to launch the campaign, and each will offer a new, "groundbreaking" course next semester entitled "Mental Health and World Peace." The course will focus on peace from the microcosm of personal relationships in regards to race, gender, and class, and expand the focus from there to genocide and nuclear holocaust, and how Prozac can help "increase the peace." As one professor slated to teach the new course commented, "If everyone's happy, then there will be no conflict ever again. Prozac will revolutionize the entire application of peace building theory." A Brethren congregation torn apart by conflict over U.S. foreign policy served as a test subject for the "Prozac for Peace" program. The pastor said, "Prozac changed our lives."! One parishioner asked, "War? What's war?" Tests on government officials are still inconclusive.

Allegations that officials from the Mennonite Church USA met secretly with Eli Lilly's top staff to persuade them to test the Church of the Brethren's General Offices first in order to aid the Mennonite's possibility of hostile takeover of the denomination have yet to be confirmed. Similarly, the Church of the Brethren's Annual Conference Program & Arrangements Committee could not be reached for comment regarding the strong resemblance between the 2003 Annual Conference logo and Lilly's logo for their Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder medication, Strattera.

College Rankings

The Princeton Review annually ranks colleges across the country in several categories. Each of their rankings will give you an unbiased and uncensored view of each school profiled. They can guarantee that their candid profiles will seldom be found in any admissions office glossy view book. The important thing to remember is that each ranking is based on what the real experts, current college students, tell the Princeton Review about their schools. What could be more useful to students choosing a college than the opinions of current students?

Their list of the top party schools recently garnered a lot of press coverage. And, while none of the Brethren affiliated colleges made that particular list, one of them made it to the top 20 of a couple of their other lists. Juniata College ranks 8th on the "homogeneous student population" list and 14th on the "alternative lifestyles not an alternative" list.

As a service to our readers, the GM staff have gleaned the Princeton Review statistics for the Brethren schools and done some ranking of our own.

Most Comfortable Brethren College: Elizabethtown College (% Living on Campus: 85)
Least Comfortable: University of LaVerne (% Living on Campus: 35)

Smartest Brethren Faculty: Juniata College (% of Faculty with PhDs: 81)
Dimmest Brethren Faculty: University of LaVerne (% of Faculty with PhDs: 49)

Most Organized Brethren College: Juniata College (Registered Organizations: 97)
Least Organized: Manchester College (Registered Organizations: 38)
Note: McPherson College numbers for this statistic were not available.

Most Affordable Brethren College: McPherson College (Annual Tuition: $12,500)
Most Expensive: Juniata College (Annual Tuition: $21,160)

Brethren College with the Lightest Reading: Juniata College (Average Annual Book Expenses: $450)
Heaviest Reading: University of LaVerne (Average Annual Book Expenses: $846)

Best Brethren College to Find a Woman: Elizabethtown College (% Mail/Female: 38/62)
Best Brethren College to Find a Man: McPherson College (% Male/Female: 49/51)

Brethren College with the Happiest Freshman: Juniata College (% Freshman Returning for Soph Year: 90)
Least Pleased Freshman: McPherson College (% Freshman Returning for Soph Year: 45)

Most Generous Diploma Mill: Juniata College (% Freshman Graduating in 4 Years: 69)
Stingiest with the Sheep Skins: McPherson College (% Freshman Graduating in 4 Years: 30)

Easiest Brethren College to Get Into: Bridgewater College (Accepted as % of Applied: 87)
Hardest Brethren College to Get Into: Elizabethtown College and McPherson College (Accepted as % of Applied: 69)

Brightest Brethren College Students: Juniata College (% Freshman in Top 10% of HS Class: 39%)
Dimmest Bulbs: McPherson College (% Freshman in Top 10% of HS Class: 7%)

And, for the record, only one of the six schools we looked at does not list any religious affiliation with the Church of the Brethren.