Archival Series: Questions Answered on the Changes at NIU
Previously, we posted Part One of this Q&A with Dr. Dana Everson (former music faculty at NIU) for your consideration. Today, we continue with more questions and answers surrounding various
aspects of the change in trajectory of NIU, the former Northland Baptist Bible
College.
Indirectly, I believe that one of the top 2 or 3
issues regarding music choices has to do with a new view of associations. I
don’t know where this is going to finally settle, but it is going to be an
issue probably in many other areas besides music. In my opinion, if this is unsettled, they do
not have to feel obligated to “apologize”
until it IS settled.
This article originally appeared August 14, 2012 as part two of a four part series with Dr. Everson. Please continue to Part Three of this series.
Site Publisher’s Commentary: There are colleges where students once were taught a conservative philosophy of music that focused on uplifting the Lord and not the performer or the personal listening tastes of the hearers. Today they have become an environment where music has no moral quality, style is supposedly unaddressed in the New Testament, and institutional standards are a hindrance. NIU is on that track!
For Related Reading:
The Real “Unchanged” NIU Comes Forward
Is NIU “UnChanged?” NIU Students Engage the Issues, Part One
Is NIU “UnChanged?” NIU Students Engage the Issues, Part Two
Q10. Were you specifically
told of a new direction or emphasis for music including a requirement to change
accordingly?
NIU administrators were always
challenging us to try new and creative approaches to fulfilling the college
mission, but it seems to me that only in the last 2-3 years or so that I was
there that the previously held student standards began to change more
dramatically. New, more relaxed guidelines for dress and hair, loosening of
some dorm restrictions, changing the word “rules”
to “expectations,” the elimination of
the demerit system.
This seemed to coincide with
Matt Olson’s declarations in chapel and in faculty meetings that “we
will not separate over music,” his implication that the gospel is the
ONLY really important thing, and his personal list of something like 30 issues
in Fundamentalism that he did not agree with. I don’t know if he ever
specifically listed all these issues (and some of these probably did need some
revision; perhaps such things as certain practical dress code issues for
students in the COLD north weather, for example).
Although several “music philosophy” meetings were held in
the fall of 2010, my personal impression was that the direction of music
standards and policies were already pretty much decided; the “meetings” seemed to me to be political protection so that
ADMIN could always fall back and say they “consulted”
the faculty as new directions were being considered.
I realize I am judging motives
here, so I want to be careful, but I also want to say that during those music
philosophy meetings I was very firm, very strong in my challenges to the
president and the ADMIN (1) to take the high road, (2) to take a longer look at
the ramifications of any loosening of music standards, (3) and to take more
time to reconsider the counsel of conservative musicians as opposed to relying
so heavily (in my opinion) on the input from students.
New
directions were more set in place than
discussed before being implemented. ADMIN of course has a certain right to
make decisions, but in the area of music, I believed that most of the counsel
the music department offered was not followed.
Q11. Why doesn’t the
administration clarify their position in open, unvarnished terms?
Matt has stated clearly in chapels and staff meetings that “we will no longer separate over music.”
Of course that is still unclear, but it suggests that NIU is APPLYING their
principles differently if they aren’t actually changing their philosophy. I
don’t think he is willing to draw specific lines about this style or that
group…I think he is very “customer
conscious” and does not want to offend current students or potential
students. That’s my opinion.
Q12. Many churches are
increasingly disappointed with the level of music style sung from NIU’s
traveling music team. Are you aware of this and do you have a comment regarding
under whose directive and/or responsibility it was to train the traveling
singers?
Be careful to distinguish between the ministry teams (which were
primarily trained by folks outside the music dept) and the Northern Lights
(which was trained and prepared via the music dept). The ministry teams were
hand-picked for their personalities, spirituality, and good attitudes, not
necessarily for their musical skills. AFTER the ministry teams were chosen,
they had some coaching from music faculty who tried to help them prepare some
musical selections. This is an important difference that perhaps many pastors
and churches do not completely understand. The Northern Lights was a team which
focused on musical ministry and was much more intensely rehearsed and groomed
for traveling as a music team. Of course each year there are strengths and
weaknesses as personnel changes, but overall, their musical choices (over the
four different directors they had during my years at Northland) were
technically well done, balanced in variety, and spiritually driven. They made
some wonderful CD recordings into the mid-2000’s.
Q13. Was the music department
dismantled for practical reasons or for philosophical differences?
Around Thanksgiving 2010, the administration called a meeting of all fine
arts students (essentially music and speech students) to inform them that
discussions were ongoing concerning music philosophy and the exciting prospects
of strengthening the music area by making it more “global” in its methods. Dr. and Mrs. Suiter (head of Fine Arts) and
Shelly Beeman (voice instructor) had resigned by then, and I believe the
administration was using the opportunity to begin making some changes they had
been contemplating. In other words, 50% of the full time music faculty
resigned and left after fall semester, and the college was trying to
regroup and put a positive look on the situation. Publicly, Dr. Suiter left
because he didn’t feel qualified to go in the “global” direction that Matt seemed to want to go. In my opinion, the Suiters did indeed leave because they could not agree philosophically with the direction that Matt desired to go.
Miss Beeman coached voice students by online/Skype in order to help them
complete the school year. To my knowledge, Shelly was not full time and was not regularly present on
campus for the Winter 2011 semester. I believe she returned to campus
briefly a few times to assist some students with their voice
recitals. But the other two music faculty members (and 1-2 other part time
folks) and I took up the slack where we could.
Hearing some of the news occasionally from campus this school year, I am sure that I would be actively looking for another employment/ministry situation by this time in the school year.
Q14. NIU seems to be
portraying a praise and worship style of music; is this true? If the pulpit
ministry is the leading indicator of the strength of any given Bible school’s
emphasis (from my perspective), and the laid back style in which the platform
is presented (no ties or suit coats but turtle necks, choruses, no pulpit,
discussion or conversational style of presenting a message, etc) do you see
this?
This is the tough part to explain. Possibly Northland chapels have always
been a little less formal than other schools because of their strong camp
background/ministry.
Q15. If they believe that
everything they are doing today is correct, have they made any steps to
apologize to those who were there 10 or 15 years ago?
This article originally appeared August 14, 2012 as part two of a four part series with Dr. Everson. Please continue to Part Three of this series.
Site Publisher’s Commentary: There are colleges where students once were taught a conservative philosophy of music that focused on uplifting the Lord and not the performer or the personal listening tastes of the hearers. Today they have become an environment where music has no moral quality, style is supposedly unaddressed in the New Testament, and institutional standards are a hindrance. NIU is on that track!
For Related Reading:
The Real “Unchanged” NIU Comes Forward
Is NIU “UnChanged?” NIU Students Engage the Issues, Part One
Is NIU “UnChanged?” NIU Students Engage the Issues, Part Two
I read this comment today:
ReplyDeleteOn a certain Facebook post today someone posted a letter asking the question about what kind of fundamentalism Northland should be. Should it be the romantized kind where Gershwin was banned because he has jazz influences? It asks the question if we wanted NIU to go back to the days when all of your music had to be approved or disapproved and mentions how easy it is to romantisize the past. At the moment this post has 87 “Likes.”
Let me get this straight, you think it is great that NIU now has a rock band because you don’t want to go back to the days when Gershwin was illegal? These people are excited that NIU is willing to go as far left as it has without communication or apology to its historical base (The people that allowed NIU to build its program & buildings) because they don’t want to go back to the days of music check?
(I get it that the topic of Gershwin was just an illustration, that the point wasn’t about Gershwin music itself.)
Horrible argument!
1 This argument is presented in an extreme either/or format. What, no middle ground was an option???
2 NIU wouldn’t have forbade Gershwin for years now – and I mean well before this Redeemed band was established. That Gershwin issue is OLD!! In other words, NIU hasn’t been that strict about media in quite some time.
3 I highly doubt most of the former constituency and alumni critizising NIU are pining for the days when Gershwin was forbidden and coulottes on women (or insert whaver other stereotype here). They aren’t THAT sentimental. Women have been able to wear pants quite often on campus for years now.
These people are happy on basing an entire shift in direction based on a false caricature.
Does that make sense??? NO!