w V V V -f -6 -f w 0 Page 65 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, December 7, 1984 BY : The Mormon influence in Provo * " 11 "n 'N dnJ i gives student life a different twist By KATIE BLACKWELL Life in Provo, Utah is about as straight as Ann Arbor is diverse. And comparing Provo's Brigham, Young University to the University of Michigan is worse than using Donny, Marie and The Rolling Stones in the same sentence. Provo, a city of 74,108, is located 45 miles south of Salt Lake City-the heart and soul of Utah. If Utah and Salt Lake City are known for anything, it's the strong, and large, Mormon population. In 1875, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints-more commonly referred to as the Mormons or simply the LDS-founded Brigham Young University. WITH A CURRENT enrollment of 26,000, BYU is the largest privately- owned college in the country. 98 percent of the students practice the Mormon'. faith. According to an article in the school's press guide, "the university at- tempts to provide a proper balance between academic. and religious in- struction." Part of this "mix" includes three- and-a-half years of religion classes-14 credits in all. Most of these classes are centered on the Mormon religion, although there are some Bible study courses available, according to Anne Thornton, Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Universal-the school paper. Another key element in the Univer- sity's struggle to maintain a high morality in its students is the "Code of Honor". This code has been getting a lot of media attention of late. It requires Tackles MICHIGAN No. Asst. Total Loss Mike Mallory, LB........... Tim Anderson, LB .......... Brad Cochran, CB ............ Kevin Brooks, DT........... Garland Rivers, CB......... Rodney Lyles, OLB ........... Mike Hammerstein, DT ....... BRIGHAM YOUNG 89 54 52 51 53 32 37 51 39 20 18 10 27 16 140 93 72 69 63 59 53 2 4 2 13 0 4 8 No. Asst. Total Loss Cary Whittingham, LB ........ Mary Allen, LB ............... Kurt Gouveia, LB .......... Leon White, LB ............... Steve Haymond, S ............ Brad Smith, NG ... ....... 51 53 43 43 35 37 96 78 64 47 49 41 147 131 107 90 84 78 1 4 5 4 0 0 The BYU campus in Provo, Utah. A true combination of academic, athletic and religious excellence. OCITIZEN Sweep N second hand, adjustable bracelet-a unique quartz watch that's extremely mas- culine, and handsome. RICH &THIN. WATER RESISTANT TO 100 METE-RS $225 OCITIZEN The'%rchkrd" each student, mormon or not, to sign a statement that says they will not use alcohol, drugs or tobacco. And it goes without saying that each BYU student will abstain from pre-marital sex. THORNTON SAID that the church of- ficials term it "a word of wisdom" that the students should honor. "It's mainly just an honor code," said Thornton. "They don't come out and police it." Regardless of the degree of enfor- cement, Thornton claims that most students choose to follow the doctrine. One piece of evidence that suggests the students do heed the code of conduct is high marriage rate. Currently about 22 percent of BYU students are married. At least 16 of the top 70 Brigham Young football players are married. BUT THORNTON points to two reasons, besides the strict Mormon faith, that might influence the marriage rates of students. "I think it's the Western culture for one thing," she said, emphasizing that schools in the West tend to be more marriage-oriented than those of the Midwest and East. I(ANA * Korean Restaurant I 15% OFF 1 ON ALL ENTREES I Hot Spicey dishes and vegetarian dishes * 10% OFF WITHOUT COUPON N OPEN: 10 a.m. - 9 p.m. Mon.-Fri. I Saturday 5 p.m. -10 p.m. , 1133 E. HURON 662-9303 EXPIRES: JANUARY 31, 1985 , The second factor is the LDS missions that many Mormon young people un- dertake. These missions are en- couraged by the church elders, but remain "completely volunteer." "MOST MALE members (about 85%) of the church go on missions. They are called to a certain area of the world for 18 months," Thornton said. Therefore, the men come to school older and ready to settle down. While men become eligible for a missionary post at age 19, the women must wait until they're 21. According to Thornton, "women are getting an education in preparation for marriage." Thornton did point out, though, that the church was better recognizing women's increasing role in the work force. The students receive no college credit for the time they spend on the religious trip. But 8,000 of the BYU students return bilingual and receive foriegn language credit for this. MANY MEMBERS of the Cougar football team have at one time or another, been church missionaries. The period of service acts as sort of a natural red-shirting year, giving the players a chance to mature both physically and mentally. Head football coach LaVelle Edwards has attributed the ventures as strengthening agents for his team. They are allowed a chance to develop as individuals. "It's a different environment here," Edwards said. "There are a very set amount of rules that all students have to abide by. We really have a very in- teresting mixture-Mormons, non- Mormons, blacks and quite a few Polynesians. But it's really a pretty typical football team. The Cougar gridders are about two- thirds Mormon, most of whom have ex- perienced the missionary duties. One notable exception, however is BYU fire- thrower Robbie Bosco. While Bosco is a member of LDS, he will not go on a foreign mission, citing his calling is to be a quarterback. "I think it is a pretty typical team as far as religion is concerned," said the junior. "The team prays before the game, but I think all teams have some sort of pre-game prayer." Daily Photo Vince Bean and Sim Nelson high five it in the endzone Northwestern. Michigan blanked the Wildcats, 31-0 Jokisch looks on with a smile. Interceptions MICHIGAN No. Brad Cochran .4................ 4 Rodney Lyles ........... . .. .. . . . . 4 BRIGHAM YOUNG No. Mark Allen .... Mary Allen .... Kyle Morrell .. 4 4 3 .................... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 . . MAI REST Servin Lunch SPECIAL Beer, Wi Open Daily Sunday, 307S 66 Punting MICHIGAN No. Yds. Ave. _ _ _ _ " rL Monte Robbins .................... BRIGHAM YOUNG Lee Johnson ..... ........... . 55 No. 2431 Yds 44.2 Avg. 57 2593 45.5 Morrell ... BYU's best defensive back