Sustaining a Bahá'í Identity 
on a College Campus
A Workshop Presentation by 
Andra Nahal Behrouz


	O SON OF MY HANDMAID!  Didst thou 
behold immortal sovereignty, thou wouldst 
strive to pass from this fleeting world.  
But to conceal the one to thee and to reveal 
the other is a mystery which none but the 
pure in heart can comprehend. (Bahá'u'lláh, 
Hidden Word -- Persian #41)

	Any Bahá'í student arriving on Columbia 
University's campus in New York City during the 
Fall of 1998 would have found that there was no 
organized Bahá'í community or student group on 
that campus.  Since that time, a campus club has 
been established and its influence has permeated 
the lives of Bahá'ís and non-Bahá'ís alike within 
those campus gates.  Experiences with starting a 
club, planning events, working with other 
religious clubs, as well as with other Bahá'í 
groups, have made clear the role of clubs and 
community in the development and support of 
individual religious identity.

	Indeed, it is the primary duty of each 
of us, throughout every stage of our lives, 
to strengthen and sustain our own religious 
identity, our steadfastness in the Cause of 
Bahá'u'lláh, and our dedication to His Covenant.  
Yet, the college experience -- a time of passage 
from youth to adulthood -- is notably special 
and offers a unique challenge, as well as a 
unique opportunity, to Baha'i students. 

	"For any person, whether Bahá'í or not, 
his youthful years are those in which he will 
make many decisions which will set the course of 
his life.  In these years he is most likely to 
choose his life's work, complete his education, 
begin to earn his own living, marry, and start 
to raise his own family.  Most important of all, 
it is during this period that the mind is most 
questing and that the spiritual values that will 
guide the person's future behavior are adopted.  
These factors present Bahá'í youth with their 
greatest opportunities, their greatest challenges, 
and their greatest tests -- opportunities to 
truly apprehend the Teachings of their Faith 
and to give them to their contemporaries, 
challenges to overcome the pressures of the world 
and to provide leadership for their and succeeding 
generations, and tests enabling them to exemplify 
in their lives the high moral standards set forth 
in the Baha'i Writings.  Indeed, the Guardian 
wrote of the Bahá'í youth that it is they 'who 
can contribute so decisively to the virility, 
the purity, and the driving force of the life 
of the Baha'i community, and upon whom must 
depend the future orientation of its destiny, 
and the complete unfoldment of the 
potentialities with which God has endowed 
it'" [from the 10 June 1966 letter of the 
Universal House of Justice, in Wellspring 
of Guidance, pages 92-94]. 

	How does one "sustain a Bahá'í identity"?  
There is no fast and easy answer to this, but 
teaching the Faith and closely adhering to the 
Bahá'í standard (a code of conduct based on the 
laws and teachings of the Bahá'í Faith) are two 
key elements. It is indeed essential that Bahá'í 
students maintain and make known their Bahá'í 
identity on a college campus.  In response to 
this assertion, one may ask: why is it so essential?  
In short, there are three primary reasons that 
speak to this question.  First, as the Beloved 
Guardian has told us, college campuses offer 
a "fertile field" for teaching.  As elucidated 
by the above-mentioned statement by the Universal 
House of Justice, people on college campuses 
are rethinking old ideas, building their 
own identity, and searching for their purpose 
and calling in life.  Secondly, because 
of the intellectual nature of college life, 
Bahá'ís have access to open-minded, intelligent, 
capable people, who are likely to be the 
leaders of tomorrow and who, consequently, 
have the potential of applying Bahá'u'lláh's 
teachings to the affairs of the world.  Most 
importantly, however, is this reason: it is a 
requirement of our Faith and the purpose of 
God manifesting Himself on earth.  God has 
sent His Holy Messengers to raise up a new 
race of men.  Consider these words of 
Bahá'u'lláh, as quoted by Shoghi Effendi in 
The Advent of Divine Justice: "The purpose of 
the one true God in manifesting Himself is to 
summon all mankind to truthfulness and 
sincerity, to piety and trustworthiness, 
to resignation and submissiveness to the 
will of God, to forbearance and kindliness, 
to uprightness and wisdom.  His object 
is to array every man with the mantle of 
a saintly character, and to adorn him with 
the ornament of holy and goodly deeds."

	Admittedly, it is both a challenge 
and a struggle to uphold the Bahá'í standard.  
But, first things first: what exactly is the 
Bahá'í standard?  Again, this question allows 
for lengthy and multi-faceted commentary.  
Shoghi Effendi, however, provides a succinct 
overview of the Bahá'í standard, which has 
been excerpted here from The Advent of 
Divine Justice:

"A chaste and holy life must be made the 
controlling principle in the behavior 
and conduct of all Bahá'ís, both in 
their social relations with the members 
of their own community, and in their 
contact with the world at large. It 
must adorn and reinforce the 
ceaseless labors and meritorious 
exertions of those whose enviable 
position is to propagate the Message, 
and to administer the affairs, of the 
Faith of Bahá'u'lláh. It must be upheld, 
in all its integrity and implications, 
in every phase of the life of those 
who fill the ranks of that Faith, 
whether in their homes, their travels, 
their clubs, their societies, their 
entertainments, their schools, and 
their universities. -- It must 
be closely and continually identified 
with the mission of the Bahá'í youth, 
both as an element in the life of the 
Bahá'í community, and as a factor in 
the future progress and orientation 
of the youth of their own country.  
Such a chaste and holy life, with its 
implications of modesty, purity, 
temperance, decency, and clean-mindedness, 
involves no less than the exercise of 
moderation in all that pertains to dress, 
language, amusements, and all artistic and 
literary avocations. It demands daily 
vigilance in the control of one's carnal 
desires and corrupt inclinations. It calls 
for the abandonment of a frivolous conduct, 
with its excessive attachment to trivial 
and often misdirected pleasures. It requires 
total abstinence from all alcoholic drinks, 
from opium, and from similar habit-forming 
drugs. It condemns the prostitution of art 
and of literature, the practices of nudism 
and of companionate marriage, infidelity in 
marital relationships, and all manner of 
promiscuity, of easy familiarity, and of 
sexual vices. It can tolerate no compromise 
with the theories, the standards, the habits, 
and the excesses of a decadent age. Nay 
rather it seeks to demonstrate, through 
the dynamic force of its example, the 
pernicious character of such theories, 
the falsity of such standards, the 
hollowness of such claims, the perversity 
of such habits, and the sacrilegious 
character of such excesses. -- It must be 
remembered, however, that the maintenance 
of such a high standard of moral conduct is 
not to be associated or confused with any 
form of asceticism, or of excessive and 
bigoted Puritanism. The standard inculcated 
by Bahá'u'lláh seeks, under no circumstances, 
to deny anyone the legitimate right and 
privilege to derive the fullest advantage 
and benefit from the manifold joys, beauties, 
and pleasures with which the world has been 
so plentifully enriched by an All-Loving 
Creator" [pages 29-31; for the full statement 
on this issue, refer to pages of 23-33 of 
Shoghi Effendi's Advent of Divine Justice].

'Abdu'l-Bahá is the Perfect Exemplar, 
the embodiment of every Bahá'í virtue and 
ideal; thus, we can best understand the 
Bahá'í standard by studying His life and 
deeds.  "Let [the Bahá'ís] call to mind, 
fearlessly and determinedly, the example 
and conduct of 'Abdu'l-Bahá while in their 
midst. Let them remember His courage, His 
genuine love, His informal and indiscriminating 
fellowship, His contempt for and impatience of 
criticism, tempered by His tact and wisdom. 
Let them revive and perpetuate the memory of 
those unforgettable and historic episodes 
and occasions on which He so strikingly 
demonstrated His keen sense of justice, 
His spontaneous sympathy for the downtrodden, 
His ever-abiding sense of the oneness of the 
human race, His overflowing love for its 
members" [page 34 of The Advent of Divine Justice].  
There are many books that contain the details 
and various stories of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's life, 
and Bahá'ís should study these with great care 
and attentiveness.

Shoghi Effendi's book, The Advent of Divine 
Justice, is truly an inspiring work and an 
indispensable resource for understanding our 
duties as Bahá'ís.  Here are a few more excerpts 
from that book that shed greater light on the 
aspects of the Bahá'í standard, the upholding 
of which is the inescapable duty of every Bahá'í:

"A chaste, pure, and holy life, unsullied and 
unclouded by the indecencies, the vices, the 
false standards, which an inherently 
deficient moral code tolerates, perpetuates, 
and fosters" [Shoghi Effendi, page 23]; 

"This rectitude of conduct, with its 
implications of justice, equity, truthfulness, 
honesty, fair-mindedness, reliability, and 
trustworthiness, must distinguish every phase 
of the life of the Bahá'í community" 
[Shoghi Effendi, page 23]; 

"Let your eye be chaste, your hand faithful, 
your tongue truthful, and your heart 
enlightened" [Bahá'u'lláh, as quoted by 
Shoghi Effendi, page 25]; 

"O army of God! Through the protection and 
help vouchsafed by the Blessed Beauty -- 
may my life be a sacrifice to His loved 
ones -- ye must conduct yourselves in such 
a manner that ye may stand out distinguished 
and brilliant as the sun among other souls.  
Should any one of you enter a city, he 
should become a center of attraction by 
reason of his sincerity, his faithfulness 
and love, his honesty and fidelity, his 
truthfulness and loving-kindness towards 
all the peoples of the world, so that the 
people of that city may cry out and say: 
'This man is unquestionably a Bahá'í, 
for his manners, his behavior, his conduct, 
his morals, his nature, and disposition 
reflect the attributes of the Bahá'í.' 
not until ye attain this station can ye 
be said to have been faithful to the 
Covenant and Testament of God. -- The 
most vital duty, in this day, is to 
purify your characters, to correct 
your manners, and improve your conduct" 
['Abdu'l-Bahá, as quoted by 
Shoghi Effendi, page 25-26].

	The first step to "living the life" 
(the "Baha'i life", that is) is making the 
conscious choice to do so.  This decision must 
necessarily translate itself into noble deeds, 
and action is the next step to be taken.  
Action implies striving and consistency of 
effort -- little by little, day by day.  As 
the Beloved Master has said: "Day by 
day, add to your spiritual victories."  
But action is not where the process ends.  
The third step is reflection on signs of 
progress, for we can never appreciate where 
we are at until we recognize how far we 
have come.  Through reflection, we can find 
the motivation to make tomorrow better than 
yesterday, and we can evaluate our strengths 
and weaknesses.  Although this process works 
for the individual's spiritual growth and 
development, it has great implications for 
a Baha'i group or community and can, 
therefore, be applied to the function 
of a Baha'i campus club.

	This workshop aims to equip 
participants with the spiritual and mental 
tools to sustain a Bahá'í identity and live 
the Bahá'í life while at college.  The 
purpose of this workshop is to foster a 
discussion among participants.  Colleges across 
America vastly differ; there are two-year, 
four-year, public, private, rural, urban, 
single sex, co-ed, large and small.  Because 
of the diversity of campuses and experiences, 
it is essential that everybody in the workshop 
participates and shares their own experiences.  
From this discussion, college students will 
learn how to proclaim the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh 
through words and through deeds.  They will 
be able to return to their campuses in the 
Fall and inspire others.  They can start a 
Bahá'í club; they can get the Bahá'í name 
attached to worthy endeavors on campus; 
they can spearhead the establishment of 
a sense of Bahá'í community on their 
campus; and they can meet the challenge 
of withstanding conventional college 
pressure to engage in activities and 
environments that are not conducive 
to the standard of the Bahá'í way of life.  
Rather than judge those who may be having 
some difficulties withstanding these 
pressures, this workshop hopes to encourage 
participants to make good decisions and 
to access their priorities -- in a way that 
takes into primary account the principles 
of the Bahá'í Faith, which provide the only 
true safety from the ills of college 
life.  In the end, it is the ultimate goal 
of this workshop to inspire the participants 
to keep striving, by day and by night, to 
live a life worthy of the glorious Cause 
of Bahá'u'lláh.

There are, indeed, a number of ways and 
means to sustain a religious identity, 
but this workshop will focus on the two 
most effective ways: through a sense of 
community (namely through a Bahá'í 
campus club) and through adherence to 
the laws and principles of the Faith.

~ Ask the audience to share, by show of 
hands, how many among the college students 
present at the workshop belong to a Bahá'í club 
and how many are the only Bahá'í on their campus.

	A sense of community is key to 
sustaining a religious identity.  A Bahá'í club 
must have at least two Bahá'ís in its membership, 
according to the constitution approved by the 
National Spiritual Assembly [for further detail, 
see the National Youth Affairs Office 
Web-site at http://www.usbnc.org].  Bahá'í campus 
clubs must also be sponsored by a Local Spiritual 
Assembly; therefore, if there is no Local 
Spiritual Assembly in the college's home 
community, the nearest Local Spiritual Assembly 
can sponsor a Bahá'í club.  Of course, once 
the club has met these requirements, it must 
become officially recognized by the college 
where it's at, and the process each club must 
go through varies according to the rules and 
regulations of each campus.  University 
recognition is extremely beneficial, as it 
often provides clubs with access to room space 
and to funds.  To make the entire process even 
easier, the National Youth Affairs Office offers 
a "start-up kit" for Bahá'í clubs, available 
upon request [email = youth@usbnc.org].

Bahá'í clubs can do a number of things, including: 
sponsor on-campus events (i.e. lectures, informal 
discussions, deepenings, firesides, performances 
with art/music/drama); run information booths 
or tables on campus; work with other like-minded 
organizations on campus.  A balance between big 
and small events is perhaps most effective, 
and smaller events should definitely be regular 
and consistent.  That is to say, Bahá'í clubs 
would ideally offer weekly events that are 
held at the same time and same place, so as 
to maintain a constant presence in the lives 
of its members.  Bahá'í clubs have great 
potential to provide a sense of Bahá'í 
community for students who have left their 
homes (perhaps for the first time) and find 
themselves in unfamiliar territory.  If the 
club meets regularly, and its members 
make an active effort to really get to 
know each other personally and 
to spend time together socially, the 
club will undoubtedly succeed in 
creating a sense of community that is 
welcoming to all people. 

One reason many Bahá'í clubs may not provide 
a tight-knit sense of community is simply that 
they are often small, some with an active 
core that consists only of two people!  
Moreover, Bahá'í clubs tend to be more 
outwardly focused, trying to reach and teach 
the people who are not already members of 
the club.  Although it is unquestionably 
essential that Bahá'í clubs provide a warm 
environment open to ALL peoples, it is also 
true that the more unified the members are, 
the more attractive the club will be.  Indeed, 
social activism and outward-directedness are 
important ways to teach the Faith and assist 
humanity, but without true love and unity a
mongst the Bahá'ís (including all Bahá'í club 
members) hearts will not be as strongly attracted.

~ Open the floor to discussion:

WHAT ARE SOME WAYS THAT BAHÁ'Í COLLEGE CLUBS 
CAN DEVELOP INTO THE PRIMARY SOCIAL OUTLET 
AND SUPPORT GROUP FOR BAHÁ'Í YOUTH?  

Some ideas include:
1.	Get together to have FUN!  Social events 
are key.  
2.	Meet at least once a week (at least!!!).  
Weekly meetings are important, even if you 
just sit around and say prayers.  By establishing a 
weekly time and place for meetings, the 
club maintains a regular presence on campus.
3.	Host regular firesides as a group, making 
one person (or a team of people) responsible for 
each one.  In doing so, all members of the club 
are actively involved in the club's activities.
4.	Make a sincere effort to become personal 
friends with each other.  Meet for dinner, see a 
movie, study at the library.  The club should 
really serve as a way to bring Bahá'ís and 
Friends of the Faith together and as a 
steppingstone to creating true friendships.
5.	In addition to social stuff, do "Bahá'í" 
stuff together.  Go to Feast, host service projects, 
pray together, meet for meals during the Fast, 
commemorate Bahá'í Holy Days, host deepening 
classes, etcetera.
6.	Do activities together that celebrate and 
reinforce your Bahá'í identity.
7.	Maintain active correspondence and a 
thriving relationship with the club's sponsoring 
Local Spiritual Assembly.  Give a regular 
(i.e. bi-monthly or at the start and end of each 
semester) report to the Local Spiritual Assembly 
of the membership, activities, resources, and 
goals of the club.
8.	Appoint a liaison from the club to the 
Local Spiritual Assembly and request a liaison 
from the Assembly to the club.
9.	ESSENTIAL: have an updated email and 
phone list for all Bahá'ís (and Bahá'í club 
members) on campus and in the area, so that 
people can be in touch and stay aware of 
what's going on.  This is also a good way 
to make personal contact with Bahá'í friends 
who are not very active; reach out to them 
and let them know that they are wanted AND 
needed!
10.	Having food at events draws a big crowd 
on college campuses and also creates a more 
casual and inviting atmosphere.
11.	Call upon the talent of Bahá'í club 
members and local Bahá'ís.  The club can invite 
people to campus to host musical performances, 
speeches, and workshops.


Now, according to the Bahá'í Club Constitution 
that has been approved by the National Spiritual 
Assembly, Bahá'í clubs require at least two 
Bahá'ís to be together on campus.  So, if an 
individual is the only Bahá'í on his/her campus, there 
can be no club!  Have no fear, however, for an individual 
in such a position has a unique role to fulfill.  
Bahá'ís at college can think of themselves as "pioneers" 
on that campus.  Indeed, it not easy to be a pioneer, 
and the Writings spell out the noble qualities and 
characteristics that pioneers are to possess and maintain.  
By considering it one's double-duty to succeed 
academically and to promote the Faith, being alone 
on campus becomes an exciting challenge and rewarding 
opportunity.

~ Open the floor to discussion:

WHAT CAN A SINGLE BAHÁ'Í ON CAMPUS DO TO CONTINUALLY 
REINFORCE HIS/HER OWN BAHÁ'Í IDENTITY?  HOW CAN 
HE/SHE MAKE A BAHÁ'Í PRESENCE KNOWN ON CAMPUS? 

Some ideas include:
1.	Introduce yourself to the University Chaplain.  
Often the Office of the Chaplain hosts interfaith 
gatherings at which you can represent the Bahá'í 
Faith.
2.	Start up a club.  Not a Bahá'í club, but 
one that is based in Bahá'í principles.  For example, 
a Unity Club or a Students for World Peace Association.  
Or, the club could focus on a more specific principle, 
such as: Race Unity, the Equality of Women and Men, 
or World Governance.  The possibilities are endless, 
and once the club is officially recognized by the school, 
it will serve as a platform for many ideas, including 
Bahá'í principles, to be shared. 
3.	Organize an Interfaith Club, or join an 
existing one.  Initiate an Annual Interfaith Dinner, 
where representatives from each religious group come 
together and talk for a few minutes about their 
religion over a meal.
4.	Join other religious clubs and like-minded groups.  
Working with them and through them, they will see how 
the Faith sheds light onto their endeavors.  Religious 
club members will be curious to know more about the 
Bahá'í Faith, which reveres and accepts the Divine 
Origin of other religions.
5.	Keep good company. Spend time with people who 
share the same values as you. Know your limits and 
avoid putting yourself in compromising situations.  
6.	Connect with the nearest Bahá'í community and 
with Bahá'ís that live near the campus.
7.	Develop yourself spiritually. Pray everyday, 
meditate on the Writings, and Fast during the month 
of fasting. Deepen yourself in the Covenant and stay 
steadfast in the Faith.
8.	Knowing that you are the only Bahá'í model 
on campus, strive that much harder to uphold the 
Bahá'í standard.  
9.	Set up a Bahá'í booth or table regularly 
on campus.
10.	Contact professors in the religion 
department and provide them with information on 
the Bahá'í Faith. See if introductory religion 
classes mention the Faith, and -- if they don't -- 
see if it can be included in a lecture.
11.	Be creative!  There are countless ways to 
share the Faith with others and to proclaim your 
beliefs.  Simply wear a Bahá'í t-shirt every now 
and then!  Most importantly, though, by constantly 
looking for ways to share the Faith with others, 
you will -- at the same time -- be constantly 
reinforcing your own Bahá'í identity.


The purpose of this workshop is, as earlier stated, 
to foster a dialogue amongst Bahá'í college students, 
so that each can be a source of inspiration and support 
to another.  The eleven ideas listed in each category 
above are really only the tip of the iceberg.  Through 
consultation and creative brainstorming, the possibilities 
for finding the means of sustaining a Bahá'í identity on 
a college campus are truly endless.  At the end of this 
document, there is a list of Regional Youth Committee 
contact information, as well as the contact information 
for the National Youth Office.  With this information, 
Bahá'ís in a particular region can coordinate activities 
and support one another, as well as receive guidance 
from the institutions.

To close, there is an excerpt from a letter written by 
Shoghi Effendi that will hopefully inspire each and 
every Bahá'í youth to press on, to stay strong, and 
to be a true Bahá'í: 

"By the sublimity of their principles, the warmth of 
their love, the spotless purity of their character, 
and the depth of their devoutness and piety, let them 
demonstrate to their fellow-countrymen the ennobling 
reality of a power that shall weld a disrupted world.  
We can prove ourselves worthy of our Cause only if in 
our individual conduct and corporate life we sedulously 
imitate the example of our beloved Master, whom the 
terrors of tyranny, the storms of incessant abuse, the 
oppressiveness of humiliation, never caused to deviate 
a hair's breadth from the revealed Law of Bahá'u'lláh.
Such is the path of servitude, such is the way of holiness 
He chose to tread to the very end of His life.  Nothing 
short of the strictest adherence to His glorious example 
can safely steer our course amid the pitfalls of this 
perilous age, and lead us on to fulfill our high destiny" 
[letter dated 12 April 1927, in Bahá'í Administration 
page 132].



Regional Contact Information 

CENTRAL STATES 
Regional Youth Committee of the Central States serving: 

North/South Dakota, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Upper 
Peninsula of Michigan 
c/o Ms. Nassim Ostadkar, Secretary  
PH: 612-974-3835 
EM: ryc-ndsdwmup@rbcc.usbnc.org 

Illinois and Indiana 
c/o Mr. Husayn Allmart, Secretary  
PH: 217-328-4528 
EM: ryc-ii@rbcc.usbnc.org 

Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri 
c/o Miss Katie Bodie, Secretary 
PH: 402-865-4335 or 402-436-9896 
EM: ryc-knim@rbcc.usbnc.org 

Michigan and Ohio 
c/o Ms. Sanae Eda, Secretary  
PH: 614-449-2905 
EM: ryc-mo@rbcc.usbnc.org 

NORTHEASTERN STATES 
Northeast Regional Youth Committee 
c/o Ms. Jen Wilson, Secretary  
PH: 212-694-1826 
EM: us-neryc@bcca.org 

SOUTHERN STATES 
Southern Regional Youth Coordinating Team 
Jerry Clark, Secretary 
PH: 954-442-5582 
EM: youth-south@bcca.org 

WESTERN STATES 
College Club Desk 
Rahel Butah & Mona Kashani  
PH: 323-931-8182 
EM: rahelzb@earthlink.net 

National Contact Information 

Office of Youth Affairs
PH: 847-733-3499
EM: youth@usbnc.org