Are Pepperdine University students matching up to the university’s expectations and to outside assumptions?
Pepperdine University is known for its radiant green lawns, close proximity to the Pacific Ocean and breath-taking views surrounded by the Malibu cliffs.
Pepperdine is also known for being affiliated with the Churches of Christ, and outsiders use this affiliation to form assumptions about student behavior.
While the average “Joe” may assume that the religious affiliation of Pepperdine requires it to be a strict environment with perfectly-behaved students, the truth is that while many Pepperdine students lean conservative, there is greater behavioral diversity on campus than one might anticipate.
“It’s a university,” junior Ahmed Wahba said. “So you have people that are very religious, some that are in-between and some that wanna rage every day. It’s all about personal beliefs and who you hang with.”
Using Pepperdine Facebook groups, a spring 2014 poll surveyed 70 random students on their perceptions of what outsiders think of their behavior. The majority of students said people assume they are white, rich, spoiled, straight-edge and religious. Students also tended to believe that people viewed Pepperdine University as a wholesome college representative of high standards, expectations and prestige.
The poll also measured behaviors of students regarding underage drinking and pre-marital sex, two behaviors strongly prohibited on Pepperdine’s campus.
The poll showed that 42 percent of Pepperdine students have never had sex and plan on waiting until marriage. Some 19 percent have never had sex, but don’t see a problem with pre-marital sex. Some 8 percent of the students have had pre-marital sex, but wish they hadn’t. Some 31 percent of students have had pre-marital sex, and don’t see a problem with it.
The poll also showed that 36 percent of Pepperdine students have never been involved in under-age drinking, 24 percent are rarely involved, 21 percent are sometimes involved, and 20 percent are often or always involved.
According to these results, the majority of Pepperdine’s student body proves to lean conservative on these behavioral standards. However, partying and sex is undeniably still a part of Pepperdine’s campus.
The national average of college students who drink alcohol is about four out of five, according to the NIAAA. At Pepperdine, about three out of five students has consumed alcohol underage putting Pepperdine below the national average.
Assistant Professor of Religion David Lemley said Pepperdine tries to inspire students to live up to scripture, particularly the New Testament.
“The use of ‘affiliated’ helps describe the relationship of Pepperdine to Churches of Christ, because the congregations of Churches of Christ are not organized in a way analogous to the way Baylor is a Baptist school or Notre Dame is a Catholic school,” Lemley said. “There is no denominational or ecclesiastical authority that oversees Pepperdine and dictates doctrine or institutional practice.”
Alaine Thronson, a freshman majoring in biology, said she believes the biggest misconception about Pepperdine is that every student is straight-laced.
“It’s incorrect for people to think the only type of kids at Pepperdine are the ones that attend church constantly and don’t ever break rules,” Thronson said. “Students here are just like students at any other college. It’s naive to think the students here don’t ever go out and party, because they do. That doesn’t make them any less ambitious or success-oriented in academics and other extracurriculars.”
Jeffrey Schultz, an English and creative writing professor, said he believes the behaviors of Pepperdine students vary.
“There are certainly people around here who, very consciously, make their decision on moral grounds,” Schultz said. “And I think that’s probably more common here than other places. But the student body isn’t so homogeneous, right? It’s not like there’s a monolithic idea of what being a moral person is here. That’s my impression, anyway.”
While some Pepperdine students may take part in underage drinking and pre-marital sex, the rules are still strongly enforced.
Associate Dean of Students Sharon Beard said students who violate Pepperdine rules regarding drinking on campus and pre-marital sex, face consequences such as probation, which includes being banned from studying abroad or taking on a student leadership position.
“The first time a student is in violation, they can expect to be placed on university probation, which means that their status with the university is tenuous,” Beard said. “If they have any other violations while they’re on probation, then they can expect to be suspended from the university.”
Drinking is a little more prevalent in the international programs, professors said.
Cyndia Clegg, a multi-subject Pepperdine professor, has been going on trips abroad with students since 1998 in countries where alcohol consumption is legal at 18. As long as it’s responsible drinking, Pepperdine students are not prohibited to drink in legal situations. Clegg said it’s all about behavior, and that there’s a difference between having a glass of wine and coming home trashed.
Pre-marital sex, however, is rarely ever an issue abroad.
“The students end up being like a big happy family,” Clegg said. “As one guy said to me, ‘I wouldn’t go out with my sister!’ So I think they very much see each other as siblings, and so I think it’s a different environment than some people perceive it as being.”
Clegg said Pepperdine does face stereotypes from people not directly involved in the school.
“I think there are stereotypes because people who don’t know Pepperdine assume it’s a very restrictive environment, anti-intellectual, zealous,” Clegg said. “But I think that’s a misperception. The Church of Christ tradition at Pepperdine isn’t anti-intellectual. It’s definitely one that encourages questioning and exploring, whereas at some Christian schools, you can’t do that.”
Theater Professor Cathy Thomas-Grant has traveled abroad with Pepperdine students every other year since 2000, taking part in both the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and London program. She said she doesn’t believe Pepperdine students behave any differently with drinking abroad than students from other universities do.
“I think any American student who goes to Europe and want to drink at the age of 18 will do it, and I don’t think Pepperdine is any different than other universities who deal with the drinking issue,” Thomas-Grant said. “I do think there’s an expectation that we should be different in that respect, which I think comes from the Christian mission and what we say we stand for. But just because it’s a Christian university doesn’t mean we don’t deal with the same issues other universities do.”
Thomas-Grant said she does believe that Pepperdine students are unique to other college students in other ways; there is openness, great intelligence and the ability to think deeply.
“My students have always been very open to the culture of Scotland,” Thomas-Grant said. “I see wonder in their eyes as they experience Scotland and London for the first time. When they do take in the culture, it’s a life changing and spiritual experience. Once our students do become aware of the world around them, how their behavior affects others, they’re conscious about being helpful to each other, being polite, and immersing themselves into the culture. I think Pepperdine students are really, really smart. I don’t think they’re your average university students in some ways because I think they’re asked to think deeply about things, and I think that comes from the freedom to openly develop a spiritual relationship with God and with others.”
Nicole Werking, a freshman at University of California-Los Angeles, stereotyped Pepperdine’s students, and then responded to the stats from the Pepperdine poll.
“If you compare Pepperdine party rates to the ones at UCLA, the partying at UCLA is definitely crazier,” Werking said. “Originally, I assumed Pepperdine’s students were those goody-goody kids that had never touched a beer in their lives. After seeing the poll, I learned some Pepperdine students really are just normal college kids.”
Taylor Centineo completed this story in Dr. Christina Littlefield’s spring 2014 Jour 241 class.
