From Deseret News archives:

'Rexburg Bubble' not problem for students

Published: Sunday, Dec. 31, 2006 12:10 a.m. MST
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REXBURG, Idaho — There's not a bar to be found for miles. It's even hard to find a cup of coffee, but the 13,523 Brigham Young University-Idaho students who take over this tiny town 80 miles from Yellowstone National Park praise what they call the "Rexburg Bubble."

BYU-Idaho students don't seek late-night parties and a go-go lifestyle. The school is owned by the LDS Church and stresses the religion's buttoned-up lifestyle.

Mormons eschew alcohol and caffeine. They come to BYU-Idaho from 50 states and 54 countries to take the school's religious curriculum.

The students and their subdued lifestyle anchor largely Mormon Rexburg.

"I think it's a lot better than most places. People seem to have more morals, more integrity, than other people in the world, even if they aren't members of the church," Daniel Robertson, a junior from Washington state, told the Rexburg Standard Journal.

Kip Harris, director of admissions and scholarships, said he tells prospective students that Rexburg is a small rural town without a shopping mall. It's that quiet, clean-living atmosphere that draws many students, he said.

"I think the small-town feel is a great thing for kids to experience," Harris said.

About a third of BYU-Idaho students are from the Gem State and 10 percent are from Utah.

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The students from Idaho and Utah usually have an easier adjustment than the young Mormons who come from places where they were part of a small religious minority, Harris said.

Whitney Carlsruh, a freshman from Michigan, said she feels closed from the outside world. She recalled sitting at a soda fountain and overhearing a discussion about the sinfulness of caffeine.

"It's sad to say, it' kind of like a bubble almost," she said.

Other students say there's comfort in living around so many like-minded people.

"You feel safe," Robertson said. "You feel like you can trust people more. You feel more comfortable."

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