Since the Divinity School was founded back before there was an American Unitarian Association, theological students have had a number of criticisms of their theological education. And sometimes they tell the school and sometimes something is done, but usually not.
In our time they bring their protest to the schools administration, or to the UUA's Director of Ministerial Credentials and for reasons having to do with power and priorities their good proposals become unheeded. Jess outlines some of the concerns of the current students at Meadville.
Who has the most interest in seeing that the students concerns are addressed? The Ministers who are currently serving are as a group very concerned with the quality of theological education, and with the future of the ministry. Most would agree with the list that Jess has put forward. Communicating with the Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association that the candidate members are seeking positive program for change would be listened to, and there would be a response.
But change takes time, institutions need to make plans for 2009 right now, so students and ministers must be prepared for a programmatic approach to realize change. To make institutional change takes years of effort to build the consensus, to make the decision and implement the change. Most efforts at reform in the Unitarian Universalist movement go no where because the solutions require persistence. Students graduate and go off an become ministers, and new ministers have more than enough on their minds than to be concerned with the students back at the old school. The ministers who would be willing to work on the problems are a "out of touch" with the students and spend time trying to find ways to "get in touch." I had two interesting conversations at GA, the first with the UUMA Committee on Ministry for Anti Racism, Anti Oppression and Multiculturalism which was trying to figure out how to get in touch with students of color to offer mentoring. The other with some seminarians of color who were surprised that the UUMA was trying to offer mentoring, they had never heard of it. We made that decision three years ago I said, and then realized that is more than an eternity for the students.
But what about now? What about the present students who don't have the courses they need to prepare for ministry? There are some ad hoc solutions, grants for workshops, asking the local ministers chapter to help.
If one doesn't want to be forgotten in this Unitarian Universalist movement, one must speak up. Those of us who are working for better minister/student relations might be a little defensive that we didn't hear you when you were whispering to each other. But becoming aware of our own neglect and shortcomings is a common place in ministry, so bring it on.
Changes do take time, and yes, one must speak up to be heard. But one change that needs to happen that doesn't seem to be is for the administration to listen and consider those who DO speak up. When one speaks and speaks, and even shouts, and no one hears, it's not surprising that apathy sets in.
It's somewhat a result of how the M/L program is designed, too, in that the student body changes radically every year - internship is the third of four years, so it's difficult to build ties across classes. One year the student government may feel they're getting somewhere with the administration, then they hand the reins to the next class and go off on internship, to come back in the fourth year to an unrecognizable situation.
It's not fair to lay the burden of communication of these issues solely on the students - they are, after all, trying to get through school, and internship, and the fellowship process! What I, as a spouse, would like to see is a much more cohesive reaching out from not only the UUMA but also district leadership, and a better effort by both the UUA and UUMA to offer opportunities for student networking across seminaries.