Kent Read, Kent Write, Kent remember what I did last night
Students chant that almost proudly on a Thursday night. Houses circling the campus overflow with partying students. Beer cans litter lawns.
This scene isn’t any different than any other state university though. It’s almost expected now for young adults entering college to join in the party scene. And despite what some people say, it’s not just harmless fun.
I felt my call to ministry while watching the murder trial of Adrian Barker. Obviously he didn’t wake up the morning before the murder and say, “I’m going to commit a heinous crime today.” So many students don’t realize the path they’re on.
Every spring at the end of the semester, students hold a massive block party called College Fest. The day is marked by drinking from morning until night. In 2009, the all-day party made national news after students lit bonfires in the streets and police fired nonlethal ammunition at the mobs.
Obviously that wasn’t the first time Kent State made national news. Most famously, on May 4, 1970 national guardsmen opened fire on student protestors in what became known as the Kent State Massacre. The tragic event scarred the face and reputation of Kent State.
But what if Kent State, a school known for protest and death, were changed into a beacon on a hill, known for life abundant in Christ? How will that happen?
