A Response to the Social Club Frenzy at LU...

Ok, I'm going to use this outlet to do a little venting about something I feel pretty strongly about, that some of you may not agree with. I do not wish to offend anyone in saying how I feel about this, but only to speak the truth I know in my own heart on the subject, and if the Lord chooses to use my words to change someones heart, then may I be a vessel for Him.


My college years were spent at Lipscomb University, a wonderful school with amazing teachers and just all around great students. At Lipscomb, we did not have "sororities" like they do at state schools; rather, "Social Clubs" which were sororities/fraternities on a MUCH smaller scale. Because our social clubs did not have to adhere to certain state mandates regarding pledging, active members of our clubs could pretty much do anything they wanted to as far as pledging goes, including hazing the pledges. The defination of hazing, as found on Wikipedia.com is as follows: Hazing is an often ritualistic test and a task, which may constitute harrassment, abuse or humiliation with requirements to perform random, often meaningless tasks, sometimes as a way of initiation into a social group. The definition can refer to either physical (sometimes violent) or mental (possibly degrading) practices.

I would have to say most social clubs at LU participated in this very definition of hazing on some level. Some were more on a mental level, others were more physical, and some consisted of both. Active members justified this type of behavior, usually because of one or two reasons; 1. "We went through it, so everyone else who joins has to go through the same exact treatment," or 2. "Pledges need to go through hard times together so that they will bond as a group." There have been many, many debates as to whether pledging went against the key foundations of the school, like portraying Christ in every activity, ethical practices and service to others, but above all, living to the highest standards in Jesus Christ.

About 2 years ago, Lipscomb elected a new president, Randy Lowry. One of the big changes President Lowry wanted to make, after seeing the process himself, was to change the way pledging was handled at LU alltogether, the goal being to make the pledging process more in line with Christian practices. Oh man did this cause the uproar of the decade. Alumni started coming out of the woodwork in opposition to this new change. There is even now an online petition of currently 162 alumni (and counting) that have signed saying they will no longer support Lipscomb financially because of this. I realize I am in the minority among social club alumni that supports President Lowry and the deans at Lipscomb who are helping to bring about this (much needed) change, but I must stand up for what I believe in no matter what. I want to ask you that are so opposed to the decision of the deans...what in your heart truly is leading you to believe that the way we have done pledging all these years truly glorifies God? To me, there is no question that it is a breeding ground for elitism and domination over another human being. And to those of you who truly believe that hard pledging promotes closeness among a pledge class...I agree to a point. I definitely bonded with my pledge sisters, but the TRUE bonding happened when/if I experienced life at a spiritual level with those girls. One of my very very best friends in the entire world was in Delta Sigma (a different club than me) and I'm closer to her than many of the girls I pledged with, and I know many people who could say the same thing. A social club is just that: a THING. An orginization. Don't get me wrong, I loved my time in Pi Delta. ButI can tell you for sure that I was never comfortable with being on the "active" end of pledging. I am not saying I was perfect, I'm human. But I can't deny the turmoil in my spirit during that time. To me, what really is important here is reaching others for Christ. Serving others. Impacting someone by putting them BEFORE yourself. Loving others despite any fault. These are some of the key elements Jesus Christ lived by, so what about this mirrors the pledging process we all went through? It's crazy to me how we can easily throw these beliefs out the window for the sake of tradition.
For those of you who actually read this entire post, thanks:) I don't want to use this as a way to start a knock down drag out argument at all. I do, however welcome your thoughts, even if you never even went to LU, and even if you disagree with me.
Thanks.

Diet and Fertility...

Ok, before you jump to conclusions, I am definitely NOT trying to get pregnant. This is just a subject that really interests me, and of course one day, it will be personal. I know many women struggle to get pregnant...I may end up having a hard time myself, who knows. But I want to prepare myself and get my body healthy and ready no matter what. I do firmly believe that our diet has everything to do with how unhealthy Americans are in general, and why we are the most obese country, so it would only make sense for diet to affect this as well.

I read an article recently from Newsweek called "Fat, Carbs and the Science of Conception." I don't know why there hasn't been much mention of the possible connection, it seems pretty obvious to me that if diet affects how healthy you are, it would affect your fertility.

In this article, they talk about a diet high in fats, sugars and unhealthy carbs has a pretty substantial adverse effect on a woman's ability to conceive. A diet high in fiber, fruits and veggies and good (whole grain) carbs is a recipe for baby-makin success!

Many women with PCOS or Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (which is said to be the leading cause of infertility) made some heated comments on the article, but in my opinion, they just probably felt the need to be defensive. The article is not saying this is THE cure for infertility, it's just saying it could be the cure in some cases. So...what are your thougths? Anyone care to share your own conception stories and whether or not you agree with this theory?