You don’t have to be of the generation that walked to school uphill, both ways, in the snow to be able to say, “Things were different back when I was in college.”

Truth is, today’s students have changed in three key ways in the last five years.

Networked!

Have you noticed the cell phone is now an appendage? In 2000, only 30 percent of students had one; now it’s nearly impossible to find one who doesn’t. It occasionally is used to make actual calls, but it is constantly in use for texting, taking pictures, and accessing the Internet.

With more than one third of all college campuses wirelessly networked, students can be nearly constantly connected to the Internet—which de facto means they are constantly connected to their friends via MySpace or Facebook. Ninety percent of college students have a Facebook profile, and 75 percent check it at least daily. For many, Facebook is their primary communication tool with friends around the country (or across their dorm rooms). The average Facebook user has 75 friends. Increasingly, students are saying they would rather communicate digitally than face to face with their peers.

For campus ministers, these bits of technology become one more tool for building relationships, and ultimately incarnating the gospel in the lives of students on campus.

Bringing Their Families to Campus

“Parent bouncers” on freshmen move-in day are just one way schools have been dealing with this new generation of “helicopter parents,” moms and dads who hover over their student’s lives, leaving little room for them to make choices and take responsible action. Parents call, demanding room changes (thanks to an alarming Facebook profile of a potential roommate), or try to sit in on advisory meetings and make the student schedules. Not only that, employers say the trend is extending beyond school into job fairs and interviews.

The cell phone is a factor here, too. It has become a bit of an umbilical cord, as well. Seventy percent of all college students call home multiple times a week, with more than one third saying they call home daily.

For campus ministers this can be a challenge of getting students to step out and take leadership roles. Some, however, are also discovering the connection to families back home and opens up another whole segment of their ministry (and in some cases support raising).

A Passion for Justice

A number of campus ministers are starting to call it the “justice generation.” Ministries leading Hurricane Katrina relief trips were inundated with students—many of them not Christians. From Bono and the One campaign to International Justice these college students has a passion for “justice.” They want to stand up for the rights of HIV/AIDS victims and the victims of human trafficking. For many, they embrace Kingdom virtues, without knowing the King.

For campus ministers, this passion can open doors and connect students with the power of the gospel as good news for the poor and bringing freedom for the oppressed. Evangelism and discipleship can both build on this renewed interest. In addition, a number of ministries (IJM, Food for the Hungry, Compassion, World Vision, for example) have launched project specifically designed to engage college students in this work.

The Need Today

Even though college has changed since many of us attended, college students still have the same basic needs—for connection, community, wholeness, and the saving grace of Jesus Christ. It’s easy to get caught up in the talk about students “these days,” but even more important is to make the most of the opportunity to reach these students—today—for Christ.