By Jane Potocki
Contributing Writer
As Asbury continues to evolve as an instituion, many of its rules and regulations change with it.
One rule that some students feel should be changed is Asbury’s policy on dancing. There are, however, students who are content with the standard the school has maintained.
In the student handbook it states that dancing is not permitted at Asbury, with some exceptions such as organzied choreography. According to the student handbook, Asbury does not allow dancing because “many forms of contemporary dance are associated with unwholesome behavior.”
While dancing is not to be a glorified activity of the instituiton, as of 2011, the Board of Trustees passed a policy allowing students to hold all school dances each year. These events are organized by the special events committee, which falls under the student activities board.
When asked on her thoughts on dancing, Dr. Sandra Gray said that dancing should not be the main focus of entertainment at Asbury, because there are so many other things that are important to the school.
“We would not want that to be a driving part of our primary entertainment,” Gray said. She added that some sorts of dancing are inappropriate with the policy at Asbury of what is acceptable. “Just to have open dancing, any time, any sort, for any reason, just doesn’t seem to be a good fit for Asbury,” Gray said.
Sophomore Joylily Bogle agrees with this policy. “I think it’s awesome and encourages purity on campus in a tangible way,” Bogle said.
Bogle did not approve of some of the dancing she had seen at events off campus and is glad that dancing isn’t a common thing on Asbury’s campus. “Part of encouraging holiness at a Christian school is giving people an environment that they won’t feel tempted to sin themselves or be put in a place in causing someone else to stumble,” she said.
Some students disagree with this policy, though. Alyssa Driscoll said of the dancing rule, “It is outdated. It is very one-sided. Dancing is enjoyable,” Discoll said. “Dancing can be a form of worship. I don’t like it. It needs to be updated because dancing has different purposes that need to be acknowledged.”
Other students, like Nick Manchester, feel indifferent to Asbury’s dancing policy. “I don’t like or dislike Asbury’s rules about dancing, but definitely respect it,” Manchester said. “Dancing can be a serious issue for some people, so I believe Asbury has rules in respect to those people. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 8 that we should abstain from certain activities if they are offensive to others.”
Even though they disagree with the dancing policy, some students understand why it’s in place. Matt Polk said, “I can see why they have [the policy]. A lot of dancing these days is questionable. I can see why [it’s a rule] but at the same time it’s kind of ridiculous.” Asbuy’s policy is to promote wholesome behavior. Changing this standard, according to the institution would be creating settings where this policy could possibly be contradicted.