MVNU remains true to its founding heritage

As the culture and values within the United States shift, MVNU strives to remain true to its founding heritage and morals.

“The community is shaped through shared commitments, values and experiences that provide the context for transformation in Christ,” said MVNU President Dr. Henry Spaulding.

MVNU administrators believe the current lifestyle guidelines enforced on campus serve to enhance the community and the individual person. Therefore, many of the policies will remain the same for the coming year.

This decision was shaped by a desire to “provide a rich and meaningful student experience without compromising our Christian identity and core values,” said VP for Student Life Joe Noonen.

This devotion to core values will continue to shape the alcohol policy for enrolled students.

According to page 48 of MVNU’s student handbook, students are not permitted to “consume, traffic or be in the presence of alcoholic beverages.”

Though there have been rumors throughout campus that this policy will be revised for the coming school year, MVNU officials say this is not the case.

“We stand in solidarity with the Church of the Nazarene in believing that an alcohol-free campus experience is a rich one, contrary to the social narrative that college is not college without alcohol,” Noonen said.

Noonen explained that many state and community institutions are struggling with the dangers of heavy drinking and alcohol-related sexual violence and deaths.

Administrators at these colleges and universities are desperately trying to find ways to regulate the use of alcohol to avoid the harmful consequences that can follow.

These issues reinforce MVNU’s decision to remain a dry campus, Noonen said.

At the same time, MVNU officials said they recognize the diverse background and beliefs represented within the student body, especially for those over the legal drinking age of 21.

“The challenge for us, as a university, is to be aware that not all who attend here come from homes and churches who share beliefs and practices connected to the Church of the Nazarene’s historical stance on alcohol,” Noonen said.

He and the Student Life staff are working to go beyond implementing policies and rules in order to best serve the diverse student body.

“This will require us to engage in critical conversations and a commitment to educational programming centered around alcohol,” Noonen said. “We need to go further than simply stating, ‘You cannot drink.’ ”