May 31, 2009
Dear Mr. Moderator,
As a rising junior at Erskine College I am concerned with the direction of this academic institution as a whole. Specific incidents which I have experienced as part of the Erskine Community testify to an increasingly predominate attitude among Erskine faculty and administration where the true message of Christ meets diminishing attention and increasing scorn. Click to continue »
Dear Mr. Moderator,
I believe in the Christian Liberal Arts and I love Erskine’s commitment to Jesus Christ and to excellence in education. However, I would like to see us take those commitments from a dusty plaque on the wall and turn it into action. Click to continue »
May 19, 2009
Board of Trustees
Erskine College
Due West, SC 29639
Dear members of the Board of Trustees:
My name is Tiffany (Tre*) Wylie. I am a graduate of Erskine College, class of 2003 with a Bachelor’s of Arts in Social Studies and a Minor in Secondary Education. For the past four years, I have served [as an English teacher overseas]. During my tenure [overseas], I have earned a Master’s degree in the field of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from Azusa Pacific University. I returned home in February to have knee surgery. Since my return, I have heard disturbing rumors about Erskine from current students, fellow alumni, and others outside of the Erskine family. I am concerned about the direction of Erskine College if these rumors prove to be true. Below are some of the rumors that have come to my attention. These rumors, whether true or false, can damage the reputation of the school and should be investigated. Click to continue »
May 28, 2009
Dear Mr. Moderator,
I am writing to you with concern about Erskine College. I am a rising junior Psychology major at the college, and I love the school dearly. As a student there, I have learned very much academically and joined several of the extracurricular groups, such as Student Ministry at the Barn, Judicial Council, and working at campus sporting events. There is no doubt in my mind that Erskine has the opportunity to send most of its students, if not all of them, out and ready into the world.
However, I also would like to tell you of the changes occurring in Erskine that may compromise its future. The college was founded to encourage growth academically and spiritually through the Lord Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, as a very involved student, I see little on the part of the Administration being done to encourage the Christian spiritual growth of the students. Click to continue »
To the ARP Church:
Two weeks ago, I brought my four years at Erskine to a close, graduating with a B.A. in Mathematics. I cared deeply about Erskine while I was there, taking leadership in four organizations (including a two-year tenure as an editor for The Mirror, Erskine’s student newspaper) and graduating with a 4.0 GPA. As I open a new chapter in my life, I still care about Erskine and will do whatever I can to help her succeed in her mission. Click to continue »
I recently attended the student-led forum that was organized so that student concerns could be addressed. I was sorely disappointed with how the event was carried out. The student-submitted concerns were lumped together and read in such a way that the Administration was not forced to give complete answers to the students’ questions. This also allowed the faculty to dodge some of the most vital concerns. Click to continue »
12 May 2009
Dear Dr. Ruble,
Greetings! As I prepare to leave Erskine, I have been processing my four years here as a student and the past two years of my involvement as a student leader. While I have seen God at work in many ways during my time at Erskine and appreciate the positive aspects of the Erskine community, I leave Erskine with the concern that Erskine is not headed in the right direction at multiple levels. I write to you today to share those concerns with you. Click to continue »
Dear Mr. Moderator,
The most important thing I can tell you is what effect Erskine has had on its students. What follows are three stories of falling away from the faith, each of an actual Erskine student. Click to continue »
Editor’s Note: The news article below, entitled “Faculty panel discusses new mission statement”, was written by then Editor-in-Chief Josh Grimm and then Culture Editor Daniel Stephens for the November 2008 issue of The Erskine Mirror. The article reveals some of the disagreement among the Erskine faculty concerning the motivations behind the new, Christ-centered mission statement, what it means, and how (and if) it can be properly interpreted. Click to continue »
Editor’s Note: The following is an excerpt from an op-ed that appeared in the October 2007 issue of The Erskine Mirror. Though one of the situations – the oversight of Admissions – has changed since this op-ed was published, the situations described do raise questions about the commitment of the Administration to Erskine’s mission. The op-ed is reprinted by permission, with some editorial changes for brevity and clarity.
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Two news articles—one on the “snag” concerning the search for a Director of Campus Life, the other on the transfer of oversight of Admissions and Financial Aid from Academic Dean Dr. Weatherman to Chief Financial Officer Mr. Greg Haselden—in [the October 2007] issue of The Erskine Mirror highlight the two greatest challenges facing Erskine College at present. The first challenge is whether or not the Board and Administration of Erskine College will have a coherent educational vision for what it means for Erskine to be a Christian liberal arts college. The second challenge is for the Board and Administration to actually be faithful to that vision Click to continue »