As a freshman at Columbia University, Ashley Byrd quickly discovered Christianity was a part of the campus conversation. But the conversations were not friendly toward Christians.
“Even if you sleep in class, you are going to get the impression that God is immature and angry all of the time, if he even exists, and is definitely not worthy of your devotion or worship,” Ashley said. “With everyone starting their college career that way, it creates a pretty difficult environment for people to be open and humble in their pursuit of truth.”
Inviting Veritas Forum
When he became InterVarsity’s campus staff member at Columbia in 2003, Ashley decided that the campus’s intellectual climate needed to be addressed head-on. He and his student leaders decided to host a Veritas Forum. “It looked like just the right strategy,” he said of the Forum’s format that presents Christian and non-Christian experts discussing “life’s hardest questions.”
The first Veritas Forum at Columbia was presented in the spring of 2005. “It was not as compelling as we wanted it to be,” Ashley said. The main Christian speaker was a last minute substitution and did not appear as well prepared as the other panelists. But the shortcomings worked to their advantage because the campus realized it was not an event put on just to make Christianity look appealing, it was a genuine conversation about the search for truth. “This set the tone for faculty to trust what we were doing,” he said.
More Veritas Forums were held and attendance grew. A pastor was worried about giving critics of Christianity a platform for their views and asked Ashley why he was “damaging the faith.” Ashley was not deterred.
“I see what you’re saying,” he told the pastor. “But honestly this is the water that the students swim in every day. Those people didn’t catch any of the students by surprise. The only difference was that there was a Christian voice which was able to respond and give another picture of reality.”
More Connections
As the Veritas Forums continued with increasing success, other campus organizations began to pay attention and wanted to get involved. InterVarsity developed a reputation for being the best group to work with on campus, because its leaders know how to lead.
“Most of the rooms on campus are booked by some organization every night of the week,” Ashley said. “It’s hard to mobilize a broader cross section of the campus. No one shows up for other events. Being able to pull off our Forums so successfully and publically communicated to others that ‘we should work with that group.’”
Now so many new people are showing up for chapter meetings that the hospitality coordinator has to keep re-ordering information cards. “In the past, outside of September and October, we didn’t have new people coming. Now people are still inviting their friends all year,” Ashley said.
Ashley described a leader of the student body as someone who’s been involved in the chapter for four years. He was in Ashley’s small group as a freshman and has been attending events and going to church with Christian students ever since. “He’s one of many who would have totally dismissed Christianity if he weren’t exposed his freshman year to an accurate and compelling picture of who God is.”
Ashley observed that the chapter’s Large Group leader has been nominated for Columbia’s King’s Crown Leadership Award. Every year since the Veritas Forum began, InterVarsity students have won the award. “It’s not that we seek recognition, but it’s a sign to us that we are penetrating the campus culture,” he said.
From Student to Staff
As a student, Ashley was recruited to Columbia from his home in Hawaii because of his wrestling prowess and spent all four years on the wrestling team. It was hard to find Christian fellowship at Columbia but he finally connected with the chapter his sophomore year.
“I came to college with a strong sense that God wanted to use me to reveal who Jesus was to people,” he said. “I saw a lot more potential my junior and senior year, after becoming connected with the Body of Christ through InterVarsity.” He helped start an evangelism team as a junior and began mentoring younger students in evangelism as a senior.
The 9/11 attack hit New York during the first week of Ashley’s senior year. The earth-shaking events opened the door to hundreds of conversations about the personal significance of a tragedy of such great magnitude. “It was a very fruitful year for the faith,” he said. At first he resisted the invitation to join InterVarsity staff, but then he realized that such employment would be a way to accomplish his vision for the Columbia campus, and have a long term impact.
The campus conversation has changed at Columbia, as a result of InterVarsity and the Veritas Forum. God is a more positive part of the conversation now and students are discovering answers to questions that don’t get answered in class.
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At InterVarsity's 2011 staff conference, New York Area Director Jason Gaboury gave a report on InterVarsity at Columbia University. To watch a video of Jason's report, click here.
