the spiritual climate on campus
C O L U M B I A | On Campus
Marching for Life Together COLUMBIA RIGHT TO LIFE UNITES IVY LEAGUE UNIVERSITIES IN WASHINGTON By Nathan Barlow, Columbia ’20
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n past years, pro-life students from individual Ivy League universities have traveled to Washington, D.C. for the annual March for Life, sometimes as part of their campus organization
when students at Columbia University Right to Life contacted representatives from all the Ivy League schools. The students united in Washington, D.C. for an unprecedented venture.
Credit: Sean Legg Photography
Students from Columbia Right to Life helped organize the Inaugural Ivy League Pro-Life Symposium.
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Supreme Court, and two, to coordinate the inaugural Ivy League Pro-Life Symposium. In January, 140 students from
the weary participants met at Hillsdale College’s Kirby Center for an all-Ivy pizza party. The next day, students gathered for
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Muzikowski Video Is a Viral Sensation
In March, a Chicago principal became a media sensation after he created a heartwarming video on behalf of his students during the early days of campus closure. Principal Ike Muzikowski ’15 created the comical, energetic video to encourage students at Chicago Hope Academy as they adjusted to distance-learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. ABC’s Good Morning America spotlighted the clip of Muzikowski showing off some fancy soccer and athletic maneuvers and greeting students by name outside the school’s entrance, even though they were taking classes at home. Muzikowski, a leader
‘Carry the Love’ with Christian Union during his time at Columbia, told the news media he simply wanted to remind his students of his love for them during the unprecedented shuttering of their school. Chicago Hope Academy is a co-ed, non-denominational college and life preparatory school dedicated to nurturing and challenging students in body, mind, and spirit to the glory of God. After the video went viral, Columbia University’s Rugby Football Club praised its alumnus for modeling a positive disposition and humor as he shared some cheer and camaraderie with teens in the midst of the pandemic.
In February, Circuit Riders, a ministry of Youth with a Mission (ywam.org) that inspires college and high school students to serve as Christian messengers, exhorted students at Columbia University to reflect Christ’s love across their campus. As part of their “Carry the Love” project, the team hosted an event at Earl Hall on February 13 that included worship, prayer for revival, and a call to unity. The following day, the ministry held campus outreach activities, men’s ministry, women’s ministry, and a commissioning of students. On February 29, Circuit Riders hosted a night of worship to energize Christian students across New York City.
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tutions had virtually no coordinated involvement at the most important pro-life gathering of the year. That changed in the fall of 2019
movement, ending by citing Psalms relevant to the pro-life cause. Finally, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson drew raucous applause as he discussed the in utero neurosurgeries he completed that confirmed for him over and over that life in the womb is precious and must be defended. When the events were over, the united Ivy League participants boarded their buses back home heartened to begin another season of pro-life leadership on campus. | cu
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In January, 140 students from Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, the University of Pennsylvania, and Yale met in D.C. to attend President Trump’s speech on the National Mall at the March for Life... The students then joined the march, proudly holding up the banners of their colleges’ pro-life clubs.
discussed her faith and how it related to her years-long struggle to pass a state heartbeat bill, which banned abortions after a detectable fetal heartbeat. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia talked about his life and experience in private practice and then in government agencies. Alex Azar, secretary of Health and Human Services, roused the crowd with his achievements defending life in international bodies like the United Nations. Congressman Chris Smith (New Jersey) covered the moral stakes of the pro-life
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The organizers had two primary ambitions: one, to get Ivy Leaguers together for the annual march on the
the inaugural Ivy League Pro-Life Symposium, known as The David Project (in a nod to the underdog atmosphere they face on their campuses). In the morning, they heard from leading prolife voices, such as R.R. Reno, Mary Eberstadt, and Hadley Arkes. Speakers fielded questions from small groups of students, equipping them with the rhetoric and knowledge needed to carry winsome pro-life activism back to their campuses. Later in the day, Kristina Roegner, a state congresswoman from Ohio,
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and sometimes as unaffiliated students passionate about life. Historically, groups from these influential insti-
Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, the University of Pennsylvania, and Yale met in D.C. to attend President Trump’s speech on the National Mall. Marchers heard an encouraging message from the president, along with reminders of what they were marching for: the sanctity of every image-bearer. Not all students considered themselves supporters of the president, but many noted that his message resonated with their convictions. The students then joined the march, proudly holding up the banners of their colleges’ pro-life clubs. Organizers had two goals for the team effort. One was to show the world that many students from leading universities believe fervently in the pro-life position, even if it means going up against the overwhelming pro-choice opinion on their campuses. The second was to build camaraderie and strengthen the relationships between faithful students across the Ivy League. To that end, after standing for hours and walking for miles,
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