Loyola prides itself as being a distinctly Catholic Jesuit University. The school, while maintaining academic excellence, strives to foster and promote its Catholic identity. But how does one judge the extent to which Loyola is succeeding in strengthening its Catholic identity on campus? One criterion could be to count the number of religious statues on campus. Another could be to calculate the number of Jesuit priests spotted in the quad. Still another might be to look at the newly developed Catholic Institutes and committees. However, just as a good tree is measured by its fruit, the Catholic identity of the school should be judged not by outward appearances, but by the formation of its students.Unfortunately, the curriculum allows a student to graduate from the university knowing little about Catholicism or the school’s founder, St. Ignatius Loyola. Some might ask how this is possible at a Catholic Jesuit school. Well, the school requires its students to take one world religions course and two religious studies electives. The world religions course is a survey course that does not focus on any particular religion, and the electives can be any combination of religion courses offered by the university. The result is that many students opt to take non-Christian courses and are not intellectually exposed to the Catholic faith.Now, the question should be, “Should students be required to take a course on Catholicism while attending a Catholic university?” My answer is yes. In talking to students on campus, I find many are surprised, if not shocked, that no Catholicism requirement exists. Many Catholic students chose to attend Loyola with the expectation of taking a course that would deepen their understanding of the Catholic faith. Many non-Catholic students chose Loyola expecting to learn something about the religion upon which the school is founded. With no class requirement, many Catholics graduate from Loyola knowing little about the Catholic faith, and non-Catholics graduate knowing even less. When contemplating whether Loyola should have a required Catholicism course, I imagine myself attending a Buddhist University (or any other religious institution). Although not Buddhist, I certainly would expect part of my education to include a class on Buddhism. In fact, as a student, I would be disappointed if the school had no Buddhism requirement. Some may say that a Catholicism course should not be required because students have the opportunity to take Catholicism as an elective. Therefore, it is the student’s fault, not the university’s, if a student graduates knowing little about Catholicism. But let’s be realistic here. If students don’t receive any Catholic education in the classroom, more than likely, they don’t receive it at all. And, if students don’t get Catholicism in the classroom, where else are they expected to learn it? It is my experience that many students, Catholic and non-Catholic, have misconceptions about what the Church actually teaches about many issues. Wouldn’t it be better for students to learn about Catholicism through an established course, taught by well-trained professors and focused on Church teachings, than to learn about the Catholic faith from other, perhaps inaccurate, sources?I admit that this is a controversial topic. There are both proponents and opponents of a required course. Some opponents may wonder how this proposed course would fit into the curriculum. I believe that the most logical solution would be to have the course take the place of one of the two religious studies electives. Students would learn, as they should, about the world’s religions. In turn, they would also learn about the teachings of the Catholic Church and still have one required religious studies elective left to take any religion class they wish. So, why not add this new course? I encourage the administration to consider a change in the present curriculum. A required Catholicism course would be a great move for a university that is committed to strengthening its Catholic identity.

Ryan Richardson is an economics junior