It is the biggest Christian University in the US, and we shall review why Liberty University is bad.
University education is the last step of most people’s education, and it promises to be an empowering and molding period in all areas.
This, however, has not been the case with Liberty University, and some students and faculty members have raised concerns about the institution.
We shall go into the details of these concerns and see how bad it is at the biggest Christian University in the US.
Why Liberty University Is Bad
There is no argument about it; Liberty University is one of the best Universities in the US, especially for someone pursuing a political or religious career. Despite this, it is not a good fit for everyone, and here are some of the biggest reasons why;
1. The University has some old-world and borderline oppressive Christian views
Liberty is a Christian University, so inevitably, there would be some sort of Christian inclination to its systems, but it goes a bit overboard.
The view portrayed by the University is hardcore Christian, and they could be off-putting to most people that don’t have deep religious backgrounds.
This makes it particularly difficult for non-Christians to thrive in the University and has been the source of many controversies. Students must live on campus, so they must constantly bear with these laws.
2. Unreasonable guidelines for students and faculty
As a Christian institution, it is entirely understandable that Liberty would have some religious-based guidelines for students and faculty.
This, however, creates some rules that don’t make sense, considering it is a University full of legal adults in their 20s.
Liberty has all its students reside in the institution, and they enforce a strict curfew which most people don’t support.
Additionally, the institution does not allow alcohol consumption and smoking, regardless of where you do it. There is even a ban on R-rated movies on campus, which is extreme for most people.
These strict rules make it difficult for students to see the world and experience life in its truest form, which is a problem.
3. High tuition fees and not enough scholarships and student aid programs
Undoubtedly, Liberty has many facilities and offers many courses with high-quality educators. As one would expect, the tuition fees are rather high, and it is nearly impossible for most people that would benefit from the education to get in.
It does give some scholarships to less fortunate students, but it is nowhere near other Universities like Harvard and Yale.
This leaves students with massive loans after their education, and they start their lives at a disadvantage.
4. Over-emphasis on construction projects
One of the most recent projects is the 60-million-dollar bell tower. To most people, this was one in a long list of many construction projects that the University runs without needing to.
They could spend the money on the students to make fee payments easier rather than expanding an already massive University.
Meanwhile, other important elements like security are lacking in the University, and there are numerous cases of assault.
5. Cases of religious extremism
This is a Southern Baptist Institution, and some religious inclination is expected, but the students and faculty have shown behavior that borders religious extremism.
There have been cases of students getting death threats over religious differences or unpopular opinions. Free thinkers are not embraced, creating a difficult environment for everyone attending school.
Most institution members are right-wing extremists, and it is not uncommon to have pro-gun talks and visits from right wings like Trump.
Some stories from Alumni of the institution suggest negligence in sexual assault and harassment cases.
6. Imposing right-wing ideas to the students
It is no secret that LU is a Republican University, which is very clear in every aspect of the school. It is not uncommon to have right-wing extremists like Donald Trump talking at the institution.
Anti-muslim statements from the founder’s son and pro-gun meetings in the institution have painted a dark image of it.
This is a major concern for most people, but the University has a firm grip on its ideas and policies.
Getting To Know About Liberty University
Before getting into all the scandals and negativity, you need to know what Liberty University is and what it has to offer.
Liberty is one of the best Universities in terms of education quality so let us look at it in detail and see what it is all about.
LU is a Lynchburg, Virginia-based private Baptist University with ties to the Southern Baptist Convention.
The University was started in 1971 by Elmer Towns and Jerry Falwell Sr., and it is currently among the largest Christian Universities in the US by student enrollment.
Most of its enrollments are for online courses at an impressive 80000 online students and 15000 residential.
The University was initially called Lynchburg Baptist College, then Liberty Baptist College, before changing the name to Liberty University.
With its motto, knowledge aflame, LU promises to impart Christian knowledge and guide students academically and religiously.
The 52-year-old University has had its ups and downs over the decades and has come to get a reputation.
The University has 17 colleges, the most famous being the school of law, the school of osteopathic medicine, and a seminary. LU also has athletic teams that feature in the 1st Division of the NCAA.
Their football team also features in the NCAA Division 1, while other teams are in the ASUN conference. Their athletics program is set to join Conference USA in 2023.
The religious background of the institution requires undergraduate students to take 3 evangelical classes. The ‘Liberty way’ prohibits premarital sex, alcohol use, and cohabitation.
The University is openly Republican and has supported the founder’s and his son’s ideals. Liberty has been described as a Republican Presidential politics stage of choice; Republican candidates are drawn to the University because of its ideals.
In its early years, the University had a close relationship with Ronal Reagan, which gave them a lot of publicity.
Most Republican leaders, such as Mitt Romney, Bobby Jindal, and Jeb Bush, have visited the University over the years.
More recently, Donald Trump had three visits to the institution showing its maintained relationship with the Republican Party. This stand has been controversial over the last few years with some anti-muslim remarks.
This was more of a concern when Falwell Jr. stated allowing more concealed handguns to “end those Muslims before they walked in.” This was not well received by the public, and numerous leaders around the area rebuked it.
Liberty University’s Sex Assault Scandals
Liberty University has had its fair share of scandals and controversy, and none hit the headlines harder than the sex assault cases and the University’s role in them. The concern was so big that it produced a documentary covering the stories was.
Talos Films, a production company, signed a deal with some of the sex assault victims to create the documentary, and this brought light to a big issue that many people were unaware of. The series documents how the victims fought for justice for the abuse they endured at Liberty.
Over the last two decades, Liberty University has been at the center of numerous sexual assault cases.
Most of the time, it is because the victims reported the assault, and the University did not take any meaningful steps to get justice or prevent further assault.
According to the ProPublica report, the University discourages students from reporting sexual assault cases.
In other cases, they told the rape victims they could be punished, which led to Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine calling for an investigation into the institution.
The biggest scandal in this regard involved the son of the University’s founder, Falwell Jr. Proof came out alleging that Falwell Jr. had watched his spouse have relations with another man. This led to him having to resign from the University.
Twenty-four students came forward in a lawsuit against the University to hold it accountable for its role in their assault. They also wanted a change in the University’s policies and culture that gave life to the abuse.
According to the women, the University’s sexual purity code of conduct put them at risk. They argued that the University policies on sexual behavior led to sexual violence and punished women for coming forward when it happened.
Conclusion
Liberty University does offer excellent education, but there are still major concerns about school policies and regulations and how they affect student safety. This institution has been at the center of several sexual assault cases over the last two decades.
The problem even led to the creation of a documentary in which more than twenty women came forward to report their assault.
This report brought out a dark side of the stringent religious rules that guide the students, and hopefully, the attention will lead to positive changes in policy.
