Life beyond the edge of campus

As I write this reflection I am halfway through my first semester in college. In many ways, it is hard for me to believe that I have only been on the Rice campus two short months. My first weeks of confusion, jitters, and anxiousness feel like ages ago, and I am finally settling into life here.

I have found that settling into life as a college student means a settling into a bustle of activity. It seems that from the moment I awaken until the second I fall asleep, I am involved in one campus activity or another. Often times, an entire week will fly by and I realize that I have not left campus once because I have been so busy here. I am not alone in this lifestyle. A notable number of students at Rice (and I imagine at other universities as well) are prone to becoming so involved in their campus lives — their "mini-world" — that they forget about the greater world which surrounds them. This phenomenon is so prevalent at Rice that students have coined a phrase to describe it. Here, "living inside the hedges" refers to students who rarely leave campus and often times have very little idea what is happening beyond the campus walls.

When I think about this phrase in relation to my first few months here, I see that becoming a student who "lives inside the hedges" is not a particularly difficult task. While classes are difficult, they are fascinating, and while campus life is busy, it is fun. Overall, life inside the hedges is relatively simple and, on some level, fulfilling. Yet as I take time to think about my goals and values, it becomes clear to me that in every way I am called to live with a focus on something greater than my campus life.

Thankfully, over the past couple of months I have experienced a few memorable moments which have reminded me of this call. One such moment came as I stood, ironically enough, in the very center of campus. A few weeks ago, I attended an on campus vigil honoring the victims of human trafficking. As I stood in silence, thoughts of my faith began to abound, and I found myself praying for the victims, for myself, and for the world at large. In that moment, as I was reminded of the struggles in the world which are not immediately tangible, I felt personally moved toward action on the issue. That evening, my belief that God calls us to think and act beyond ourselves was renewed.

I am glad to say that there is a Disciples congregation, First Christian of Houston, located right across the street from Rice. The congregation is warm and welcoming. The time I spend there is a strong reminder of the Disciples of Christ community of which I am a part, and more personally, a reminder of my own faith which was renewed the night of the campus vigil. As I look to my remaining three-and-a-half years as a college student, I plan to remember that this faith calls me to live my life not just inside, but beyond the hedges.

Virginia White is in her first year as a HELM Leadership Fellow and is a member of University Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Austin, Texas.