April 20, 2018
Academic research and creative work on topics as varied as business fraud and sexual abstinence before marriage were on tap when students, faculty and staff from the Metropolitan School of Professional Studies participated in Research Day at Catholic University on April 19.
In one presentation, Mark Gray, one of our adjunct instructors and a social scientist at the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, explored the causes of the decline in the numbers of Catholics. He said that the perceived certainty of science is pulling young people from all organized religions. “This isn't a crisis in the Catholic faith. It's a crisis in the concept of faith that’s happening to young people,” Gray said.
The issue of sexual purity among teens before marriage came to the fore during Research Day when four actors performed a dramatic reading of two scenes from “Ruby,” a play written by Deborah Nicholson, a student in Metro’s Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies. Mark your calendar for a full dramatic reading of “Ruby” on November 19 at Hartke Theatre!
Growth in interfaith marriages may have unintended effects on society, Silvina Cerezo, an undergraduate senior in Metro, said in her thought-provoking poster presentation. The trend could impact the faith of the marriage partners, their family, their faith communities, organized faiths and society, she asserted.
And for-profit educational institutions more effectively reach out to potential students than nonprofit schools, using tools such as social media, sales web sites, and aggressive sales techniques, Lashay Long, director of admissions at Metro, reported in her Research Day poste.