This is partly a factual question, partly one of opinion, but what are the current rules and mores at Bob Jones University? How strict are the prohibitions governing student activities? What are the demographics? Is everyone there a conservative?
I’m looking for both cites and personal impressions, so, mods, feel free to move this as you see fit.
Well, here’s a link to the section of the Bob Jones U. web site that deals with what is expected of students.
Is it still not accredited?
The last time I was at Bob Jones U. was about four years ago, on business. While it’s fair to call BJU Conservative, in upstate South Carolina the school and its policies are not an outlier to the norm, which tilts hard to the right to begin with.
My previous employer had a long-term consulting gig there, so I went onsite a few times. As I recall, everyone (faculty, staff, students) dressed conservatively, with jackets and ties for the men and long skirts for the women. One of our project managers caused quite a stir in her suit because the skirt didn’t reach her knee. They would open a business meeting with a prayer, every single time.
I remember anecdotal stuff about black students having to go to the end of the line when queuing up, and prohibitions against kissing on campus. And that Bob Sr. acquired his art collection after WWII by buying up stolen art from Nazis, etc., etc. I count vouch for any of these. The fact is everyone we dealt with was unfailingly polite, and they paid all their bills on time and in full. I may not have agreed with them philosophically, but they were not unpleasant people.
Our local office had several graduates of Bob Jones working in it – they too were politically and religiously conservative. But again, that’s the norm in that part of the state.
I see. That’s really what I was getting at–are all Bob Jones students necessarily conservative, or is it possible for someone of a liberal persuasion to go there?
I imagine if you were of a liberal persuasion you would find attending BJU to be quite frustrating, as the school’s policies enforce conservative Christian principles (in dress, behavior, etc.). But if you’re asking could a liberal get in, I don’t see why not.
Al Franken and a guy pretending to be his son went there to see what it was like. They ended up thinking the people were nice. He wrote about his trip there in this book.
I reccommend the book Strange Disciple in which a liberal student from Brown spent a semester at Liberty University in VA. All in all, he came to like the people there and found there were at lease some liberals.