"It is very controlled because of the person we hired"

Thanks for the update, Josiah.

Dare I say it? This looks like Responsible Journalism. Appreciate you going after answers to some of the valid questions raised in the original post about this.

I still think my points are valid...
1. I don't care
2. I don't know how to read
3. Michigan is awful

The blog is monitored by Jan Weaver, who is part of the Admissions Office. This I know from Phil. "Monitored" is quite vague, but clearly it is at least to some extent overseen by somebody very specific in the Admissions office. Either Wallace does not know this and/or Jan might be Phils supervisor and thinks it is her duty as a supervisor or Phil is mistaken.

I am the Assistant Director of Admissions at Covenant. I am speaking on my own time now, but I will give a disclaimer that during the day I am paid to represent the college.

Comments like "the very conceit of a college-edited student blog" and "despite the formal disingenuousness of having a purportedly personal blog be created, financed, and overseen by an admissions department who would be certain to intervene if any content contrary to their advertising message were posted" accuse "the college" of impropriety. Basically, in this case, "the college" is me. I do read Philip’s blog. No one CONTROLS Philip's blog. No one tells him what to write or how to write it. The definition of a blog in Webster's New Millennium Dictionary is "a personal chronological log of thoughts published on a Web page;blogs often reflect the personality of the author." Philip's blog is exactly that. Philip is articulating what his personal experience is at Covenant. We aren't trying to merely give the "appearance of authenticity"; we are striving to allow a current freshman to communicate his personal authentic story. He is quite free to discuss issues that concern him, and in fact, I hope he does, but I also hope he tries to present truth with integrity, and treats all people in the situation with respect.

Prospective students get letters from professors in every department to get an academic perspective. They talk to me to get the perspective of an ancient alum and a current Covenant mom. They get calls from recently graduated Admissions Reps who have their own stories of their time at Covenant. Philip's blog is an opportunity to get a snapshot of Covenant from a freshman, who a year ago was asking some of the same questions that they are.

The object of the blog is NOT "to get more students". It is to give students information from a student's point of view. If our goal was “mostly trying to cover up what is the reality of its student life, the true covenant college experience” maybe we shouldn’t encourage prospective students to visit campus, spend the night, talk to students, and go to classes.
I meet with every visitor to the college. I don't try to talk ANYONE into coming to Covenant. I don't have enough wisdom to know if Covenant is the right place for a student. All I can do is answer questions and give the best information I can so they can make an informed decision. I tell people that they can find any sin at Covenant that they would find anywhere else. I tell parents who want their child to be in a "safe" place that Covenant isn't that place. (And anyway, does God call us to play it “safe”? but that’s another conversation) We have issues at Covenant because we have people at Covenant. We try to deal with our issues in a manner that honors God. Do we do that perfectly? Absolutely not, but we are trying to learn from our mistakes and move forward in grace.

And as to the "kinds of students the college is interested in recruiting", I want students who want to know what God has uniquely gifted them to do in His world and who want to study and live in community at Covenant as the next step in getting prepared to fulfill that calling. We don't single out any "kind" of student. How would we even do that? Most of the students who seriously look at Covenant initially found out about Covenant from an alum. People hear about us through google searches, pastors, guidance counselors and summer camps. We put information on tables at college fairs and have absolutely no control over who stops to talk to us. When people walk in the door I don't know how much money they have, I don't know what kind of student they will be, I don't know what kinds of pranks they will pull, I don't know what they will do with their lives after they leave Covenant. I treat them all the same.

Who is this "they" who is seeking "religious and sociological homogeny", who doesn't want students who are "the inwardly holy, comradely often gritty person showing an image of Christian patience, humility and hope"? How do we "skew" recruitment "toward a certain demographic"?

We have students who are barely making it academically and those who make great grades. We have homeschoolers, public schoolers, private schoolers, christian schoolers. There are students who try to honor God in the way they live and students who are only interested in themselves. We have students from 48 states and 27 countries. Students who are Baptist, Methodist, PCA, OP, RC, Church of God, Catholic worshipping God in different ways in different churches – all who have trusted Christ alone for their salvation. Students whose parents are rich, and some who are orphans. We have students who look like they are going for tea at the White House and students who look like they shop at Goodwill with their eyes closed.

Covenant is probably less "cookie cutter" than it was 30 years ago when I was a student. Saying "seeing the school actually put on that front...is insulting to those who have tried to fight the plastic christian box by offering a face of authenticity and hopefully diversity of thought and content" is a rather harsh, judgmental thing to say. I want the same thing.

It is very easy to sit back and criticize. I'm guilty of it too. But when you are cleverly bashing "Covenant" you are really bashing people – people who deserve just as much respect as you do. Covenant isn’t Carter Hall - it is the staff and administration and professors and students. It is people.

I will have to answer to God for the way I have spent my life and His gifts. Words have meaning. I take that very seriously. My personal integrity is at stake. Please tell me ways we can do a better job, but please don’t discourage me by hurtful criticism that doesn’t offer any positive solutions.

And whoever holton is, I know I’ve written too much and I apologize. It’s really late, or really early.

Hey Jan, thanks so much for your comments.

I did have a few questions/points:

The purpose of the blog, as it's been put to me by Wallace Anderson, is to attract potential students through hearing the thoughts of one of the current students. In fact, just last week a possible student contacted the College because of the blog and Wallace said that the blog was "working".

I don't think there's anything wrong with the blog or Philip being used as an advertisement for the College. In fact, I think it's pretty smart.

Plus, like Wallace said, since you don't have to "control" the blog because of it's author, you also have a sincere and honest advertising piece. It's a win-win all around.

Finally, I can tell you who "they" are. A couple of great ways to skew recruitment towards a certain demographic is through increases in tuition, stuff like this, recruitment power-brokers like this, commissioning College ambassadors like this, RDA's that on average don't last more than a year, and hiring people like this to run the public face of admissions.

His Saccharine World: Your Calling.

Jan -

When you write that "the object of the blog is NOT 'to get more students'," are you saying that Phil's blog isn't being used as a recruitment tool? The reason I ask is because there's currently a comment on the Cod-blog (apparently from a high school student) claiming Covenant e-mailed her to tell her about the blog. If not for recruitment (i.e. getting more students), then why the e-mail advertising the blog?

Could the goal of the blog be clarified again?

Wasn't the idea of the blog originated w/ Stamats? And isn't Stamats used to assist with the College's advertising and marketing? The last time I checked on the Webster's Dictionary 'advertisement' is "to call public attention to especially by emphasizing desirable qualities so as to arouse a desire to buy or patronize", and 'marketing' is "the process or technique of promoting, selling, and distributing a product or service." If that is the case, I'm sure Stamats was suggesting the blog as a way of selling Covenant to potential students, i.e. to help Covenant "get more students".

Also, the author of the blog, Mr. Codington, has been kind enough to answer some of my questions in person and he too will say that, "There is absolutely no secret about the blog... or the fact that it is being used to advertise for the college."

Josiah, the link to your first example didn’t work for me, please email it to me or something. As for increases in tuition, fortunately that has not skewed the demographic yet. That’s why the Advancement Office and the Covenant Foundation people work tirelessly to find donors to help our students with financial need. (I pray daily for $26l million because I have been told by the Advancement Office that if our endowment was that size we would be able to have every student come to Covenant free – not that I think that would necessarily be a good idea either.) As far as the two ladies you mentioned as “recruitment power-brokers” they go to very diverse venues, speaking to very diverse audiences about Covenant. The only similarity in the students they attract to Covenant is that they are all believers in Christ. The students they have recruited are diverse in terms of socio-economic level, ethnicity, educational background, academic interests, church tradition, geography, artistic giftedness, athletic prowess, personality and appearance. I’m not sure how this is skewing the demographic. And as for Stamats skewing the demographic, no one from Stamats has ever told me how or what to communicate to everyone I speak with. I’m still doing the same old thing I was before I knew they existed.

Micah, I obviously shouldn't post comments at 4:30 in the morning. I did not communicate very effectively. What I meant to say is "the blog isn't simply to get more students". My comment that "the blog is NOT 'to get more students'" was in response to the accusation that it was a "college-edited blog" and not really a student's blog, coupled with the comment that we would "intervene if anything contrary to their advertising message were posted." I felt that what was being implied was that we were telling Philip what to write so people would get a contrived idea about Covenant to sell a product that didn’t really exist.

This blog is primarily to give information to people about Philip's experience. Philip’s blog could have the opposite effect of causing students to look elsewhere. There are people who will think Covenant is "too religious" because of Philip's blog. I hope at some point Philip talks about contract (but that is up to him) and that will probably give some students information that will help them decide that Covenant isn't for them. (That's why I talk with visitors about the Standards of Conduct. I want them to know what they are signing up for. I want students at Covenant who are willing to give up their personal freedom for a season - if they are even old enough for those behaviors to be legal- and who care that when they sign the Standards of Conduct it ceases to be a debate about personal freedom and becomes an issue of personal integrity.)

And on the other hand, there may be people who read the blog who will investigate Covenant further. Advertisement is also defined as "to give information to the public about" something. So, anyone who has gone to Covenant or who teaches at Covenant is an advertisement for Covenant. Simply watching the actions and listening to the words of our graduates and professors gives people information, whether positive or negative, that will cause them to come to conclusions about Covenant.

When you Google "Covenant College blog" covblogs is the first entry. Someone who wants to know what people are saying about Covenant can do so pretty easily, and there are plenty of people who post on this site who have some pretty scathing things to say about Covenant. And I might add that I'm NOT accusing Josiah of advertising negative things about Covenant and bringing up our dirty laundry in a public forum with the motive of trying to keep people from coming to Covenant.

Stamats did talk to Wallace Anderson about a blog, but in looking at other college websites, which we have consistently done even before Stamats, we saw other college blogs and thought it might be an additional way to communicate with people. Some people read letters, some people go to college fairs, some people look at college posters outside the guidance counselor's office, and some people would read a blog.

Several years ago we initiated IM communication with people (before Stamats) because that is a way some people prefer to communicate. We still have people who contact us that way.

Thank you both (Micah and Kiko) for pointing out my miscommunication. I was giving my personal opinion in my post, and my desire for a student blog is to give information so people can see an actual person's day, not to try to just present desirable qualities. Covenant isn’t all sunshine and roses, but it isn’t all bad either.

I love Philip Codington, but I wouldn't want to see a college full of clones of Philip. I appreciate the concern if someone sincerely thinks we are trying to manipulate the demographics of Covenant. I can honestly say that we aren’t. If you still are worried about this, please talk to me. I would love to hear your concerns and suggestions.

first let me offer this disclaimer: i am one hell of a writer. in fact - if i were a covenant student today the admissions staff would be begging me to contribute to this newfangled blog technology. and by admissions staff i mean admissions staff who are not single and male and do not spend their lunch hour lurking around the not so great hall offering free backrubs to student bodies. those guys would never ask me to write anything because the appeal of my subtle prose eludes them to this day.

still - as the greatest living writer within chattanooga city limits i think this blog, regardless of its intent it's a horrible idea. not because it's evil or duplicitous but because it's just so cornball. if i were a prospective student and stumbled upon this blog i would laugh out loud and apply to itt tech instead.

don't get me wrong this blog definitely fits in to the covenant as great big summer camp motif that the college has been wearing like ill advised pleated pants lo these many years:

give us your missionary kids, your homeschoolers, your preachers kids and any and all warm bodied persons that can qualify for 30k a year. we'll give them just enough of an education to prepare them for the real world. and by the real world what we really mean is seminary because that is where 99.2% of our graduates end up in the long run and we swear it has nothing to do with an abnormal fear of "society". at covenant we build one hell of a conceptual framework - a framework that just so happens to prepare 99.2% our students so well that we are confident each and every one of them are called into the ministry...and by ministry we mean after earning an mdiv they come back to minister to the covenant student body through the admissions office or any other staff position that might be open at the time. again not because they fear the dreaded integration, they just love the college so much they want to give back. some of our returning graduates even like to spend all of their free time on campus fellowshipping with the student body. especially during open dorms...

wow! did you just read that? this is just a brief example of my writing style but i think you can see why many in the know are referring to me as the judy blume of my generation. dennis haskins has even offered to write a pro bono blurb when my first novel is published. i was also hoping to get some financial backing from the pca but thos elitists won't even support their damned college.