<p>In reading about Hope there is a lot of commentary that it has a strong Christian faith atmosphere, but that it isn't controlling or oppressive. My D2 is interested in Hope because of its dance program. I am a minister in a very liberal Christian tradition. D2 is very faith oriented in her life and church oriented with a similar liberal perspective. Question: is the atmosphere such at Hope that there is a diversity of perspectives? Or is the predominant Christian voice on campus a more conservative perspective?</p>
<p>D3 and I looked at Hope in the fall of 2008. We have a UCC background though maybe not as liberal as all in the UCC. D3 felt her spiritual life could thrive at Hope</p>
<p>Judging from the [Lance</a> Black incident](<a href=“http://perezhilton.com/2009-10-28-dustin-lance-black-banned-from-college-campus]Lance”>http://perezhilton.com/2009-10-28-dustin-lance-black-banned-from-college-campus), it appears that the administration, at least, is quite conservative. </p>
<p>The administration refused to allow a screening of the movie Milk, which was to be followed by a roundtable discussion featuring Lance Black, the Academy Award-winning screenwriter of Milk. My understanding is that this decision was not particularly popular with many faculty and alums. I don’t really know about the reaction of the majority of the students, although the LGBT group that planned to host the event was clearly not happy. In any case, it is a strong indicator of the administration’s conservative perspective.</p>
<p>My son was seriously considering applying to Hope, but this incident changed his mind.</p>
<p>My daughter who was the one I mentioned in my posting that started this thread found out about this as it was happening and pointed it out to me. We followed it via google news. It has soured her also on Hope. She was excited by the dance dept, the academics, and the seeming diverse mix of liberal and conservative folks. I am not pushing Hope at this point and it will be interesting to see if she decides to visit. Anyone else out there heard any fall out about this?</p>
<p>There is quite a bit of activity on campus in relation to these events. A number of students have formed a group called “we are ready” to advocate for GLBT issues on campus. There was a discussion panel scheduled in January however one of the student panelists died in a tragic small plane crach and the event was postponed. Not sure when it is rescheduled.</p>
<p>There are many active, liberal, Christian students on campus. It has proven to be a great environment for our D who is now a junior. PM me if you would like to discuss further.</p>