Have you ever tried to get something done on campus during Devotional only to realize everything is closed? I have. I took a day off of work last semester to take a test. I walked into the LRC and the employee told me they were closing for Devotional and I would have to wait until noon to take my test. If that wasn’t frustrating enough, the employee didn’t leave to go watch Devotional or even listen to it; instead he locked the doors, sat back down at his desk and did homework for the next hour until Devotional ended.
Devotionals have been a part of BYU’s traditions for years. It is an amazing experience for those who attend, and something to look forward to every Tuesday. Campus has traditionally closed down from 10:45 a.m. to noon on Tuesdays for Devotional so all students and faculty members could attend, but this denies students the opportunity to use all of the available information and technology on campus and gives them no other option than to attend Devotional. Due to the growing number of students and endless hours of homework, students should be allowed to use all resource centers on campus during Devotional.
When BYU first started closing campus for Devotional, there were not nearly as many technological and research facilities to offer students, and as the years have gone and student population and resources have grown, campus has continued to remain closed. What is left for those not attending to do during that time if campus is closed down?
Many say that is the point, that there is nothing else to do so they should attend Devotional. There are, however, many students at BYU who have part-time or full-time jobs while they are going to school and have a much more limited time window during their day when they can take tests and utilize the great resources BYU has to offer. Test takers must also plan their time around Devotional, which can be very inconvenient for someone with limited time in their day. Why deprive them of another precious hour of time when they could be doing their homework using campus resources and taking their tests? Besides, they can listen to Devotional later online.
Even if campus was open, all students would still have the opportunity to attend because it is still a block of time when there are no classes and no assignments due. It is true Devotionals are strongly encouraged, and should be; however, those who do not attend should not be punished.
There are many different alternatives we could adopt: play Devotional over the loud speaker in each building so everyone can listen while the students get the help they need; open a limited number of resource centers so students can still use the campus facilities, but with less staff there. There are also many more options.
Even though there are many people who attend Devotional, there are also many who do not; they are not bad people – they just don’t have the time to go. They should not be punished because they choose not to attend, and we shouldn’t make things more difficult for them because of their choices. My hope is to make it more fair for students in the future so they don’t have to go through the same frustrations as I and many other past students have gone through. Instead of having a “you’re in or you’re out of the Devotional club” attitude, let’s include everyone in the “BYU club” and allow students to continue increasing their academic performance during this hour instead of only giving them the option going to Devotionals. Let’s make campus more accepting to everyone.
Amber Westover is a senior from Logan majoring in exercise science.
