Campus survey finds BYU is holier than Reed

An estimated 98 percent of the students are Mormon, some classrooms are converted into worship spaces on Sundays, and alcohol and drugs are banned from campus. So it's no surprise that Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, received the sacred No. 1 spot on the list of schools where "Students Pray on a Regular Basis" in the Princeton Review's 2007 college rankings.

Meanwhile, the liberal-arts Reed College in Portland, where the Christian student group is called "Oh, for Christ's Sake," ranked atop the "Students Ignore God on a Regular Basis" category, according to the same rankings, which were released Tuesday.

The Princeton Review rankings categorize schools into quirky lists such as "Dodge Ball Targets" for nonathletic schools and "School Runs Like Butter" for well-organized administrations. The lists are based on students' responses to an 80-question survey.

For the religious questions, participants were asked, "How religious are students on your campus?" BYU and Reed topped their respective lists for the fourth year in a row.

Carri Jenkins, spokeswoman for BYU, said she was happy to hear of the most-religious designation. "We're very pleased," Jenkins said. "We do believe that it reflects the student body here at the university."

BYU, affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also called Mormons, requires students to take 14 credits of religion classes, translating into about one class per semester, Jenkins said.

Edward Hershey, spokesman for Reed, attributed the godless designation to the highly intellectual atmosphere and general skepticism of the students.

"It's probably more about the willingness of our students and faculty to question everything, including religion, rather than the anti-religious fervor," Hershey said.

Alexis Plowman, a junior at BYU studying English, said religion plays into the students' academics. "You may notice that we'll use principles that we learn in the Gospels to what we learn in the classroom."

One of Plowman's favorite events is a "BYOB" barbecue on campus. Normally BYOB means bring their own beer or booze. At BYU, it means "bring your own beef."