Florida institutes are spiritual havens
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When one of the more intense rivalries in college sports, between Florida and Florida State, boils over onto the gridiron later this month, there will be a peaceful haven of refuge on each campus, at least for LDS students and their friends.
Situated in the shadow of the Florida State University stadium where the football game will be played is the Tallahassee Institute of Religion. The Gainesville Institute is adjacent to the University of Florida campus.
While they may be islands of serenity during bitter athletic clashes between the two schools, they offer much more than that for young members of the Church who have a desire to take advantage of what the prominent north Florida universities have to offer, especially academically. Institute directors Bret Bowcutt in Tallahassee and Darrell A. Janson in Gainesville agree on that.
"They come here to feel the Spirit," Brother Janson said, pointing out that the evils that confront young people aren't absent in north Florida. But institute is a spiritual shield against such things for those seeking the benefits of an education there.
And though students revel in the rivalry between Florida and Florida State, those involved in institute at each place feel a friendly, faith-based connection. They occasionally get together for regional activities under the direction of priesthood leaders through the Young Single Adult program.
Those familiar only with BYU and other Church schools as well as institutes in the West, particularly in Utah, might not comprehend the CES programs at Tallahassee and Gainesville. For example, there are more stakes serving students at the University of Utah than there are stakes in Tallahassee and Gainesville combined. There are more classes offered each day at the institute adjacent to the Southern Utah University campus than in a year at Gainesville and Tallahassee.
But those are just numbers games; Utah colleges and universities have thousands of LDS students. At Florida and Florida State, the institutes are there to meet the spiritual needs of much smaller numbers of LDS students with about 200 involved in institute at each school. Though the numbers might be relatively few, it should be reassuring for students and parents of students seeking the blessings of a strong spiritual supplement to their secular education at the schools.
"Institute is a home away from home for them," Brother Janson said. "It's a place where they can feel the Spirit."
Brother Bowcutt echoes that opinion, adding, "Young people are faithful to bring others with them to institute."
The Gainesville Institute also serves Santa Fe Community College while the Tallahassee Institute is also for students at Florida A&M University, Tallahassee Community College and Flagler College.
Both institutes have classrooms and activity rooms within them. Their most popular classes are taught at night, with limited offerings during the day. Gospel education is a primary concern. Activities such as games and eating are often connected to classes to give students additional motivation to attend and mingle with each other.
While there aren't many classes, the institutes are open during the day for LDS students and their friends to use the building for studying, some table tennis, games or general socializing.
A big benefit at the institutes are the senior missionaries who are stand-in grandparents. Currently at Florida they are Elder Joseph Walker and Sister Marleen Walker, while at Florida State they are Elder Brent Bowcutt and Sister Marilyn Bowcutt — Brother Bret Bowcutt's parents. The "grandparents" are popular at the institute to provide love, guidance and counsel to students who may seek it.
Brother Bowcutt and Brother Janson are enthusiastic about their locations.
Brother Bowcutt said Florida State is an excellent institution with numerous strong programs, including a music department featuring renowned American tenor Stanford Olsen, who is a professor of voice and also bishop of the Tallahassee 3rd Ward. Brother Bowcutt is also high on Tallahassee, the state capital that has grace and charm more identified with nearby Georgia. A plus for students is that Gulf Coast beaches with their sand that looks like sugar, according to Brother Bowcutt, are not far away.
Brother Janson admitted beaches are two-and-a-half hours away from Gainesville but noted that in that distance, students can go to either Gulf Coast or Atlantic beaches. Gainesville is a typical college town with all the amenities, Brother Janson added. The school itself is a big draw with diverse, excellent academic programs from agriculture to zoology. And he couldn't resist pointing out that the Florida athletic program is the best, boasting a national football and two national basketball championships within the past four years.
E-mail to: ghill@desnews.com
