From Deseret News archives:
'Rexburg Bubble' not problem for students
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.
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."
