Leadership course offered to faith-based organizations

As the lights dim, the first strands of "Salvation" blare on an electric guitar. The crowd stands and voices sing "Lord we've heard of Your great fame, Father cause all to shout Your name." Though this might be a typical scene Thursday nights inside Woodburn Hall Room 100, for the hundreds of students who gather, now it is also part of a class. \nFor a number of the Campus Crusade for Christ members in attendance, involvement in a leadership role for their group is part of the requirement for the new R100 leadership courses offered to faith-based organizations. \n"I think it's great that this course is being offered to students," said Director of CCC Jeff Chudy. "We desire for students to develop leadership in our organization, and we do things to help them develop. Some students spend a lot of time doing things for Crusade, and I think it's great that the University is recognizing the things students are doing."\nRecognizing and utilizing the activities students are already a part of is exactly the point of the R100 leadership series, said course creator Rich Mull. \nMull proposed the idea for the R100 course five years ago because of his respect for the amount of time students put into outside commitments and the opportunity for leadership he saw in those activities. The course is currently being offered as an independent study course in four different sections covering Greek houses, athletes, student organizations and, the newest, faith-based organizations. \n"Students just spend so much time with their outside activities, and we count this as leisure time, but it's such an opportunity for leadership experience," Mull said. "All of these organizations develop great leaders, and I created this course so we could teach them about leadership and give them credit." \nThe faith-based option of the R100 series was offered to students for the first time this semester. The course began with three students and has grown to 40. Mull said it was a logical step to develop a course for leadership in faith-based organizations because of the emphasis faith-based organizations tend to put on student leadership. \n"Faith-based organizations, as a group, tend have very high leadership demands for students, so the (organization leaders) were happy to meet with us," Mull said. "The (faith-based organizations) are so leadership driven, so combining what they already emphasize with what we teach in the course gives students leadership education and credit for things they are already doing on their own."\nIn its first semester, the course already has seven active faith-based organizations. Included in that list is CCC, Newman Club, Christian Student Fellowship and Hillel center. Students' requirements include participation in a leadership activity for their organization every week, keeping weekly leadership journals and meeting with an adviser from their organization. \n"I was looking for a way to fill out my schedule, and the course offers me a good way to pick up an elective hour," said sophomore Miles Roger, who is a member of the Hillel Center. "I'm very dedicated to my organization, and I would do everything I do no matter what. This course doesn't change my dedication, it just gives me a reward and extra support for the leadership I do."\nAssistant Instructor of the course, Asghar Gharakhani, said the extra support the course offers to student leaders is one of its major purposes. Gharakhani works as a contact person for the advisers in the organizations, grades tests, papers and journals and answers any questions students have. \n"The students I work with are already involved in these leadership roles," Gharakhani said. "The readings simply help them be more serious in it and help them get an application for the practical leadership they are learning in their organization."\nGharakhani worked with individual organizations in presenting the program to them and signing up students for the course. While he said he has only seven organizations that currently have students signed up, he has 13 potential faith-based organizations that are active on campus, including Muslim and Hindu groups and local churches with specifically college ministries. Both Mull and Gharakhani stress that since the course is independent study, the emphasis is put on the student leader to take it seriously and to gain what they can. \n"Not just any student can sign up for this course," Mull said. "What's really important to realize with the course though is that it parallels with what students are already doing. It helps to create knowledge of leadership from what students are doing when they work with these organizations."\nFor students, the opportunity to gain credit for something they are already doing seems to be the biggest draw to the course. But many of the students also appreciate the ability to receive academic support for faith0based commitments that mean so much to them. \n"I really thought it was just going to be an easy way to get credit, but it's given me a new perspective," said junior Kimberly Neuhalfen, a member of Newman Club. "There are some things that you don't realize until it gets put into words. It was great to be pushed to develop leadership in something that I already had a profound interest in and something that meant so much to me."\n-- Contact staff writer Samantha Thompson at samathom@indiana.edu.