Editor’s note: This is the third in a four-part series on religion at UW-Eau Claire

Senior non-traditional student Travis Krueger wears a visible symbol of his faith – a yarmulke (pronounced YA-ma-ka) – to classes. Krueger, who is Jewish, began wearing a yarmulke while he lived in New York about three or four months before coming to Eau Claire. When he came to Wisconsin, he tried wearing a baseball cap to classes.

“The first few days I wore a baseball cap instead of a kipah, and I couldn’t stand it,” he said. “It made my head itch.”

Krueger said almost everyone who knows him knows he is Jewish.

Krueger is not alone in not practicing Christianity.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2003 Statistical Abstract of the United States, in 2001 about 7.7 million U.S. citizens practiced a faith that was not associated with Christianity. The same survey showed that about 29.5 million people in the U.S. did not associate themselves with any specific religion.

Freshman Laura Cohen is also Jewish. Cohen, a Wausau native, has become accustomed to living in an area that does not have a large Jewish community.

“I’ve never really found it that hard here, or in Wausau,” she said.”If anything people just ask, ‘Oh what’s that?’and ( I explain) and then that’s that.”

Senior non-traditional student Neil Trombly found the Baha’i faith about 35 years ago.

“I actually bumped into the faith about 35 years ago,” he said. “I remember it was the first time I had heard prayer read in a truly spiritual fashion, and it truly blew me away.”

The Baha’i faith believes that there is only one God, and only one cause of God, Trombly said. The main purpose behind the religion is bringing forward a more advanced civilization, he said. For example, one of the key beliefs in thefaith is that women should have full equality with men.

“Male and female are like two wings of a bird,” he said “if one wing is weakened, the bird will never fly (correctly).”

Misconceptions about religions outside of Christianity can be common.

Cohen said she hears many misconceptions about her faith. She said they often involve things like Christmas trees and the importance of Jewish holidays.

Krueger has also heard misconceptions, such as what being kosher – conforming to Jewish dietary laws – entails.

For example, he has had to dispel myths about foods such as horseradish and potatoes not being kosher.

Krueger said in many cases misconceptions about his faith seem to stem from lack of information that is available, not individuals’ lack of understanding.

Junior Justin Greif classifies himself as a non-practicing Catholic.

“I was like, well, just because everybody else does this, why should I?” he said.

Greif said as a non-practicing Catholic he often sees pressure to conform to a religion.

“How many atheist presidents have we had?” he said.

Greif said in the end subscribing to social values and being moral is what matters.

For Trombly, being a religious minority is not isolating.

“For me at least, I really don’t care what what religion people belong to,” he said. “I’m very happy to meet people of whatever faith who actually do believe in God.”