About households (1)
by Catherine Blum
I was happy to receive the latest issue of the Concourse in the mail recently. While attending Franciscan University of Steubenville, the Concourse was practically the only extra reading I allowed myself to have time for. I always found extremely insightful and truthful articles in your paper that dealt with many issues which were often overlooked or ignored by the majority of the student body and the administration.
I applaud you on your most recent article on households. I myself was part of a large household that almost fell apart because of it was trying to conform to Student Life standards. I considered dropping out when it became a regimen of commitments and formats which if not attended brought much resentment. At one point, it was causing so much stress to my academic, social and even my spiritual life that I wished I could have been counted among the proud who boasted of never succumbing to household charms. However belonging to a household was overall a beneficial experience, and I made friends I will treasure the rest of my life. Student Life might mean well, but unless it stops trying to make every household fit into its mold, it will be the end of individual household identity and healthy household simplicity.
Thank you and the Concourse staff for you sincerity and honesty.
Catherine Blum
Catherine Blum (sister of ‘97 grads Mary and Joe Blum) received an Associates Degree in theology from FUS in 1997. She now lives with her family in Largo, Florida, where she works as a librarian. She hopes to enter the religious life next Fall.
