Uplifting students in Britain
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The Latter-day Saint Student Association has taken its place among the official student groups at the University of Manchester in England. It was launched on Tuesday, Feb. 10.
The University of Manchester has the largest Students' Union in Europe with more than 100 societies, everything from amnesty to knitting, Chernobyl Children's Project to Japanimation, Gilbert and Sullivan to dodgeball. There are groups for activists, for emerging artists, for foreign speaking students and for athletes. The groups provide an ideal way to meet people and develop new skills. The new LDSSA Society paves the way for LDS young adults at the university and other like-minded students to spend time together, meet new people and have fun while developing their faith.
The aims and objectives of the LDSSA are described on its Web site: "The University of Manchester Latter-day Saint Student Association is an official student organization formed to promote spiritual well-being, foster and strengthen friendships, and uphold moral standards by sponsoring activities and events for the undergraduates at The University of Manchester. the University of Manchester LDSSA continually seeks to identify and meet the needs of its current and future members."
This new LDSSA has gained 55 members in its inaugural weeks and hopes to continue to grow, welcoming not only LDS students but also any other students who wish to participate in activities, learn more about Christ, develop friendships and enjoy the guest speakers invited by the society.
The LDSSA intends to invite guest speakers both from the Church Educational System and also scholars and professionals from the university to speak on topics relevant to the young students. For example, asking a professional nutritionist to speak on eating a healthful diet would tie neatly with a presentation on the Word of Wisdom. As the most popular university in the United Kingdom (having received more than 53,300 undergraduate applications in 2008) Manchester has no shortage of potential attendees with about 35,000 undergraduate and graduate students.
The Deseret News Church Almanac states there are about 180,000 members of the Church in the United Kingdom and most young single adults will have attended schools where they were in the minority, if not the only member. But in the city of Manchester, there are a number of LDS students, many from the Manchester England and Ashton England stakes, attending its three universities and numerous colleges, making it possible to attain the minimum number of names required for the formation of a new society. The LDSSA is likely to be only the beginning of very exciting times for the Church in Manchester. With the presence of world-class universities, a growing Institute and the Preston England Temple just half an hour away, the city is attracting more and more LDS students.
The University of Manchester LDSSA Society, as it is known, is chaired by Leah Smith, a second year history student originally from the York England Stake. Its secretary is Rochelle Hadley, a second year politics student from Birmingham, and its treasurer is Robyn Wilkinson, a first year student of mental health nursing from Cheshire.
They are currently recruiting for the role of a public relations and advertising coordinator. On the day the LDSSA was launched, Leah explained: "It's a really exciting day for the LDSSA. We hope to offer an opportunity for all LDS students to get together and also to attract many new friends. And as we saw today at the fair, lots of people don't know who the Mormons are and so we can help to share our beliefs and get rid of misconceptions."
Another goal the LDSSA hopes to achieve is increased unity among LDS students. Nearly two-thirds of those enrolled in the Manchester Institute of Religion are university students, and more than half of those are living away from home and this can be difficult. The LDSSA is well-placed to offer essential support.
While the institute provides a weekly opportunity to meet and learn together, the LDSSA can offer an even more varied program for all students of the university. It will be additionally valuable to the outreach program that has just been introduced in the Manchester institute, aiming specifically at reactivation and missionary work. Having a society at the university means the LDSSA can use rooms and resources free of charge for, perhaps, institute classes or opportunities for investigating students to be taught on campus.
The University of Manchester can trace a long tradition of excellence back to 1824 with the creation of Manchester Mechanics' Institute. The Victoria University of Manchester was founded as Owens College in 1851. After 100 years, the two academies formally combined in October 2004, forming the University of Manchester. The institution now ranks third in the United Kingdom for research behind only Oxford and Cambridge.
