The Northern Plight

MILLER HALL, MINNEAPOLIS, MN - North Central University is a private Christian college in the heart of Minneapolis. It’s code of conduct is referred to as “The NCU Way” and paints a clear picture of what the school expects from Students, Staff, and Faculty. Activities and lifestyles such as smoking, drinking, use of drugs, dancing, gambling, premarital sexual activity, homosexuality, and swearing are strictly prohibited and ’supposedly’ wreak swift consequences.

Fourth year Junior Jonathon Allford was recently confronted about smelling like tobacco products upon returning home from a nearby Cinema and had to meet with his RA Jonas Fletcher. “I was expecting to get reamed out hardcore about smoking but we actually only talked about that situation for like 30 seconds,” Allford explains, “Then Jonas kept asking me to be a DL (Discipleship Leader) on the floor next year.”

Allford is not the first student whose disciplinary meeting was more similar to an interview than an actual corrective action discussion. “I didn’t even have to write a paper or do housekeeping duties to ‘work off’ getting caught watching an R-Rated movie in the dorms,” one student reflected, “I just said I would think about applying to be in leadership and take the Leadership Development class offered in the Spring.” The purpose behind this way of handling disciplinary action seems to remain unclear.

The Student Development department at North Central declined to comment, but a former member contacted the Northern Plight office and explained that NCU believes very strongly that the best way to help people recover from their ‘wicked ways’ is to put them in charge of their confused and vulnerable peers. Whether or not this tactic is working is still unknown. Though Allford has yet to turn in his application to be a DL and has been reported as having a very “Lysol’y” citrus smell to him. -BERNSTEIN