Eastern Nazarene College - Student Life

Student Life

In 2006, students from 21 countries and 31 U.S. states were attending Eastern Nazarene. ENC is 24 percent ethnically diverse, the highest diversity rate among the eight Nazarene liberal arts colleges, and black student enrollment rose from 4.9 to 15 percent between 1997 and 2007. Eastern Nazarene has always been co-educational, and most of the traditional undergraduate population lives on campus. Undergraduate students at ENC are typically affiliated with approximately 30 different Christian denominations (the largest representations being Nazarene, Baptist, Catholic, and non-denominational), while 35 percent of the student population had no reported denominational or religious affiliation.

No student is required to be Christian to attend the Eastern Nazarene College, but each traditional undergraduate student, upon registering, agrees to what is called a Lifestyle Covenant: to, among other things, "abstain from the use of illegal drugs, alcohol and tobacco, and to avoid attendance at bars, clubs, or other activities or places of entertainment that promote themes of inappropriate sexuality, violence, profanity, pornography or activities demeaning to human life." The Student Handbook also specifies that "No person shall engage in sexual acts with anyone other than a spouse." While some guidelines might appear to be "relics from another era," according to the Boston Globe, the Globe has also noted that other prominent Christian colleges uphold these ideals, and that Eastern Nazarene is known for being a progressive "trendsetter" with a "slightly more liberal bent" than its peers. The John Templeton Foundation has also cited the Eastern Nazarene College as one that builds character, and the Quincy Patriot Ledger has said that the school's "deep religious roots make for a quiet campus and good neighbors."