By Rachel Smith, Senior

Let us face it: there are a lot of rules at Cornerstone. I am not saying this is bad or unnecessary, it is just a fact. So, the question: what motivates Cornerstone students to obey these rules? I took a survey of CU students from all years, 69 in total. The first part of the survey dealt with five specific CU rules, with the second half asking students why they obey, the purpose of the rules, and where CU gets their rule-making authority. Thanks to all who participated—here are the results:

Sixty-nine percent of students who obey the rules say that the rules are there for guidance and protection, with 20 percent feeling that the rules are there to scare them into obedience. Of the rule-followers, half feel that when they signed the lifestyle contract, they gave CU the authority to make the rules, 25 percent said that CU’s authority comes from God, and the rest indicated that they did not think that CU had that authority.

So, why follow the rules? CU students have many reasons, but is one better than the other? Of the students who indicated that they agreed with CU’s rules, all of them followed them. This is virtuous, but is it really praiseworthy to follow a rule that you internally follow anyway? What about the reason of trusting those who are older and more experienced? While it is important to listen to our elders, let us not accept their words blindly. The CU administrators have their reasons for making rules, so research it. Look up the scriptures provided in the student handbook. Understand them for yourself, and form your own opinions about what to do after CU.

“In the end, the first and foremost reason to obey the school’s rules comes down to the fact that we said we would. If a person doesn’t have his own word, he doesn’t have anything,” said Jacob Hunsanger, senior. While the results of my survey indicate that many students do not agree with CU’s rules, it is impressive to see that CU students as a whole place so much emphasis on the value of personal integrity. In a chaotic and untrusting wEKps us up to date on all the goings on at CU. It is a glorious publication.

You get the idea. Yes, a rise in tuition is not really desirable. But, think about the reasons why you came here in the first place. We still like this place very much, and you should like it too.