Liberty University

The four-story, 170,000-square-foot Jerry Falwell Library opened in January 2014.[37] The library features a robot-assisted storage and retrieval system for over 250,000 archived items, with room for another 170,000. The robot locates requested items within a large storage room and delivers the items to the front desk. There are also 150 public computers throughout the building for electronic archive research. The library features group study rooms, writable walls, balconies, terraces, and a vegetative roof. The entrance to the library is highlighted by a 24 ft media wall powered by three Microsoft Kinect units and integrated using a custom program. The media wall uses motion-sensor technology to enable visitors to scroll through university news, browse pictures contributed from students and learn about upcoming university events.[38] The $50 million library is part of a larger $500 million building and expansion plan announced by Liberty University.[39][40]

The National Civil War Chaplains Museum contains exhibits about clergy members and religious activity during the Civil War era. It is the only museum in the nation devoted to this purpose. The mission of the museum is to "educate the public about the role of chaplains, priests, and rabbis and religious organizations in the Civil War; to promote the continuing study of the many methods of dissemination of religious doctrine and moral teachings during the War; to preserve religious artifacts, and to present interpretive programs that show the influence of religion on the lives of political and military personnel."[41] A 501(c)(3) organization, the museum rents space from Liberty University's DeMoss Center. It has 10,000 square feet, with a 50-seat video theatre, archive displays, a research library, and bookstore.

The museum commemorates Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish chaplains (including African-American chaplains), and houses publications and artifacts from both the Union and Confederate militaries. There are several areas in the museum that are given special attention including:

• The role of the United States Christian Commission, which is the forerunner to today's USO and Red Cross.[42]
• "The relationship of religion to political and military leaders, common soldiers, and the public in the North and South."[43]

The Carter Glass Mansion is an historic home originally built in 1923 by U.S. senator Carter Glass, a newspaper publisher, politician who staunchly supported discrimination against African American voters,[44] and U.S. secretary of the treasury under President Woodrow Wilson as well as Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee and President Pro Tempore of the Senate during the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt.[45] Also known as Montview, the mansion is part of the National Register of Historic Places and is a state landmark. The 1.7-acre (0.69 ha) estate consists of a ​1 ¹⁄₂-story main building flanked by slightly smaller ells. The 18-inch (46 cm) walls are constructed of quartz fieldstone quarried from the property and the mansion is covered with a grey gambrel roof.[45] The estate was purchased by Liberty University in the late 1970s to function as the headquarters of the university administration, housing the main office of university founder Jerry Falwell. One of the many reasons for the estate's continued fame is that Falwell died at his desk at the Carter Glass Mansion on May 15, 2007; his office has been preserved in the same condition ever since. Falwell and his wife were buried on the rear lawn of the mansion and a memorial to Falwell was placed there, overlooking the rest of the campus. The estate now serves mainly as a tourist site for the historically restored mansion as well as the Falwell office, while the upstairs section of the mansion has been converted to a bed and breakfast for Liberty University guests.[46]

The Liberty University College of Arts and Sciences includes eight different departments and offers PhD, masters, bachelors, and associate degrees.[51][52]

The college teaches Young Earth creationism, a pseudoscience in its "creationist studies" classes.[53]

The Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine (LUCOM) opened in August 2014,[54] funded in part by a $12 million matching grant from the Virginia Tobacco Commission.[55]

In July 2015 the college of osteopathic medicine opened Liberty Mountain Medical Group LLC, a primary care clinic serving the greater Lynchburg area.[56][57][58]

The college received initial accreditation from the American Osteopathic Association Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (AOA-COCA) in 2018.[59] In that same year the medical school launched its first residency program, focused on neuromusculoskeletal treatment.[60]

Liberty's Helms School of Government offers degrees in Criminal Justice, Government and Public Administration, International Relations, Pre-Law, Public Policy, Strategic Intelligence, Fire Administration, etc. in both bachelor's and master's degrees.[52][61][62]

The Liberty University Rawlings School of Divinity (formerly Liberty Divinity School) was founded in 1973.[63] The Rawlings School of Divinity currently offers 44 bachelor's degrees, 44 master's degrees, and 14 doctorate degrees.[64] Many programs are on campus only, while others are available online.[52][65] It is housed in the Freedom Tower.[66][67]

Liberty offers 11 different bachelor's degrees in Aeronautics from professional pilot to UAS[68] Liberty's School of Aeronatics currently has over 1,200 students worldwide.[69] Liberty has partnered with various airlines (American Eagle, Piedmont Airlines and Wayman Aviation) to alleviate pilot shortages.[70][71][72] Liberty University's School of Aeronautics flight team captured the prestigious Loening Trophy awarded to the outstanding all-around collegiate aviation program in the nation at the 2017 and 2018 NIFA SAFECON National Competition. In addition, the team captured the American Airlines Safety Award for the third year in a row.[69]

The School of Behavioral Sciences includes the following four departments: Community Care & Counseling, Counselor Education & Family Studies, Psychology, and Social Work.[73] The School of Behavioral Sciences has an acceptance rate of 38%.[74] The Community Care & Counseling department offers 28 master's degrees[75] and 4 doctoral degrees.[76] The Counselor Education & Family Studies department offers 5 master's degrees[77] and 1 doctoral degree.[78] The Psychology department offers 2 Associate degrees,[79] 14 bachelor's degrees,[79] 6 master's degrees,[80] and 6 doctoral degrees.[81] The Social Work department offers 1 bachelor's degree.[82] The dean of the School of Behavioral Sciences is Kenyon C. Knapp.[83][84]

Liberty University's School of Business offers 46 bachelor's,[85] 67 master's,[86] and 14 doctoral degrees.[52][87] Liberty's school of business is ACBSP accredited.[88][89] As of the Summer of 2019, the School of Business is nearing completion on a new 78,000 sq. ft. business building.[90][91]

The School of Communication & the Arts includes five departments: Cinematic Arts, Digital Media and Journalism, Strategic and Personal Communication, Studio & Digital Arts, and Theatre Arts. There are over 12,000 residential and online students enrolled in this school.[92]

Liberty University offers a Bachelor of Science in Cinematic Arts Degree, which is based in the new Zaki Gordon Cinematic Arts Center (ZGCAC). In Spring 2018, the ZGCAC collaborated with an outside studio to produce a feature film about President Donald Trump named The Trump Prophecy (2018).[93][94]

The School of Education currently enrolls 4,441 students.[95]

Liberty's School of Engineering offers degrees in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial & Systems Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering.[52][96] The School of Engineering is accredited through the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).[97] In 2017, Liberty bought The Center for Advanced Engineering and Research (CAER) facility in Bedford, Virginia.[98][99]

Liberty University School of Law has an employment rate of 82% for the Class of 2018 obtained full-time, bar passage or JD-required employment nine months after graduation according to ABA-required disclosures,[100] The law school has been accredited by the American Bar Association since 2010.[101] Liberty's school of law had a 100% pass rate on the February, 2019, administration of the Virginia Bar Exam. This pass rate was tied with the University of Virginia for the highest in the state.[102]

In 2017, Liberty announced its new Center for Law and Government will be led by former U.S. representative Robert Hurt. The center will house both the Liberty University School of Law and the Jesse Helms School of Government.[103]

The departments of worship and music studies and of music and humanities were merged in 2012 into a school of music, itself composed of two distinct centers.[104][105][106][107] The School of Music offers 32 bachelor's degrees,[108] 15 master's degrees, and 1 doctoral degree.[109][110]

Liberty University's College of Applied Studies and Academic Success (CASAS) houses the Academic Success Center, the Eagle Scholar's Program, Technical Studies, Continuing Education, and Success Courses.[111]

Along with over 15 other associate programs, Liberty offers Vocational education with various associate degrees in Carpentry, Electrical, Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning (HVAC), Plumbing, and Welding. These trades are approved by the National Center for Construction Education and Research.[112][113]

Liberty University has an Internet education component called Liberty University Online; also known as LU Online or LUO. which provides degrees from associate's level to doctorate. Prior to the launch of its online education component in 2009, the university provided adult learning courses through the LU School of Lifelong Learning (LUSLLL) by way of its External Degree Program.

Liberty University is ranked #293–381 in the U.S. News & World Report ranking of "National Universities".[116] In 2017, Forbes's list of America's Top Colleges ranked Liberty University 585 of the 650 ranked overall as a "Top College", 231 as a "Research University", 371 as a "Private College", and 136 "in the South". Forbes also gave Liberty a "Forbes Financial Grade" of B+.[117]

Liberty is among the ten colleges that enrolled the most undergraduates in fall 2018 according to US News.[118] When including online students, Liberty enrolled more students than any university in the United States as of 2018.[119]

In 2018, Liberty University had a graduation rate of 49%.[120] Liberty has an endowment of $1.59 billion, the 68th largest in the U.S.[2]

Liberty is consistently ranked as the 'Most Conservative College in America' by Niche and various other publications.[121][122] Niche also ranks Liberty as the #1 best 'Online College in America' and as having the #6 best 'College Campus in America'.[123] Its college campus is ranked as one of the 10 largest college campuses in the U.S., with over 7,000 acres.[124] Liberty has also been ranked one of the ten most conservative colleges in the U.S. by Young America's Foundation.[125]

In 2005, Barron's Profiles of American Colleges ranked undergraduate admission to LU as a "competitive", its fourth-highest of six ranks.[126][127]

The acceptance rate for new first-time, full-time students entering Liberty's resident program in Fall of 2017 was 30%.[52]

As for the fall of 2016 the racial make up of students on campus at Liberty was 70% White, 15% Unknown, 5% Hispanic/Latino, 5% Black, 2% Two or more races, 2% Asian, .5% American Indian/Alaskan Native.[142] Including online students, Liberty's undergrad population was 51% White, 26.5% Race/Ethnicity Unknown, 15.4% Black or African American, 2.3% Two or More Races, 1.7% Hispanic/Latino, 1.4% Non-Resident Alien, 0.9% Asian, 0.6% American Indian or Alaskan native, 0.2% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander.[143] All 50 States and Washington DC are represented along with 86 countries.[144] The residential male to female ratio is 46% to 54%. The online male to female ratio is 40% to 60%.[145] More than 15,000 students take classes on campus. There are over 30,000 military students and over 850 international students that attend Liberty.[145]

Liberty ranks 174th out of 2,475 schools in overall diversity, 94th out of 3,012 schools in age diversity, and 82nd out of 2,525 schools in location diversity.[146]

As of 2010, when including online students, LU was the largest Evangelical Christian university in the world.[147] As of 2013, LU was the largest private non-profit university in the United States.[11] In terms of combined traditional and distance learning students, Liberty University is the 7th largest four-year university, and the largest university in Virginia.[148]

Liberty's faith-based Christian honor code states that sexual relations outside of a biblically ordained marriage between a natural-born man and a natural-born woman are not permissible.[149][150] Students at the university have criticized the university for being unwelcoming to LGBT students.[149] Campus Pride, an organization that advocates for LGBT rights on college campuses, listed Liberty University as one of the worst universities for LGBT students.[151] Falwell Jr. says the university does not have an anti-gay bias, and some gay students have defended the university.[149]

In 2015, Liberty University denied the discounted tuition to the same-sex and trans spouses of military personnel that it offered to heterosexual military couples.[152] In 2016, it was reported that the university made a special order for a version of a psychology textbook that omitted sections containing LGBT content.[153]

The school's official policies are of anti-discrimination and the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion says its mission is to make the campus a welcoming place for all.[154][155][156]

The Liberty University honor code prohibits premarital sex. Visiting members of the opposite sex alone is also prohibited.[16] Students are not allowed to consume alcohol or tobacco.[157] In 2015, Liberty revised the code to give students the freedom to watch rated "R" movies and to play video games rated "M".[158] In 2017, the curfew policy was changed to permit students age 20 and over to sign out and stay out past curfew.[159] In 2018, however, a resolution from the Student Government that would have allowed off campus drinking, "profane language" and the use of tobacco was rejected by the administration.[160]

Convocation at the Vines Center

Liberty's convocation is the largest weekly gathering of Christian students in America. Speakers include a wide variety of influential individuals.[161][162]

Residential students at Liberty are required to attend Convocation at the Vines Center twice per week, although they have one unexcused absence per semester to use, which must be cleared with student leadership.[163]

Liberty University LaHaye Student Union building

According to Liberty's website, there are over 100 registered clubs on campus.[164]

Liberty's Inter-Collegiate policy debate program ranked first overall for their division in the Championships at the National Debate Tournament in 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, and 2011.[165][166][167][168][169] The overall rankings include varsity, junior varsity, and novice results. In varsity rankings, Liberty finished 20th in 2005, 17th in 2006, 24th in 2007, 12th in 2008, 9th in 2009, 4th in 2010 and 4th in 2011. Through 2016, Liberty hosted the Virginia High School League's (VHSL) annual Debate State Championships every April. Subsequent to controversial remarks made by Chancellor Falwell in December 2015 following the 2015 San Bernardino attack, a number of high school students, teachers, debate coaches, and parents expressed concerns over Liberty's suitability for high school events, and some teams chose to not send students to compete at the annual State Championship in 2016.[170] VHSL discontinued using Liberty as a venue for debate competition after 2016 to ensure an "environment free from harassment, personal threat, or physical or mental harm."[171] In 2017, Liberty University's Debate Team finished atop the final rankings of all three national debate tournaments for the eighth time, sweeping the American Debate Association (ADA), the Cross Examination Debate Association (CEDA), and the National Debate Tournament (NDT). Liberty remains the only school in the country to finish first in all three rankings in a single year. The team has placed first in the CEDA for the last eight years, first in the NDT for seven out of the last eight years, and first in the ADA for 13 out of the last 14 years.[172]

In 2017, Will Young, the former editor of the college's student newspaper, the Champion, recalled his experiences in a lengthy Washington Post article. In his first week in that role, he had been rebuked for attempting to get the campus's police blotter, he wrote, and the administration regularly overrode the student editors' decisions. There was, he claimed, "an infrastructure of thought-control that Falwell and his lieutenants [had] introduced into every aspect of Liberty University life" since 2016. Some sources Young spoke to believed the university installed spyware on the laptops they were issued. Student journalists became so frustrated that they launched an independent newspaper, the Lynchburg Torch, to cover stories the administration tried to suppress.[173]

The team originally used Lynchburg's City Stadium as their home stadium until October 21, 1989, when the Flames played their first home game on-campus at Williams Stadium in front of 12,750 fans.[181] Recent upgrades to the stadium increased capacity from 12,000 to 19,200 attendees and added luxury suites, a Club level, and a media area. Recent expansion has increased seating to 25,000.[182] When a part of the FCS, Liberty ranked in the top 10 in the country in home attendance.[182] In 2019, the Flames won the Cure Bowl against Georgia Southern, 23–16.[183] The Flames are coached by Hugh Freeze.[184]

Liberty University's basketball Vines Center can house up to 9,547 spectators for its games.[185] Several members of the Liberty men's basketball (Liberty Flames basketball) team have been recruited to the NBA.[186][187] The women's basketball team (Liberty Lady Flames basketball) was honored by the Big South "with the Top 25 'Best of the Best' moments in League history from 1983–2008, with Liberty University's 10-year women's basketball championship run from 1996–2007 being crowned the No. 1 moment in the Big South's first 25 years."[188]

In 2019, the men's basketball program won the ASUN basketball tournament and earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Basketball Tournament. Liberty earned its highest ranking ever when it was selected as the No. 12 seed in the East Region. Liberty set a school record with their 29th win as they upset Mississippi State 80–76 in the first round of the East Region in the 2019 NCAA tournament.[189][190][191] It was their first NCAA tournament win in school history.

The Liberty Baseball Stadium, completed in June 2013 and home to Liberty Baseball, was ranked No. 4 among college ballpark experiences by Stadium Journey website in 2015.[192] The stadium includes 2,500 chairbacks, locker room, four indoor batting tunnels, four luxury suites, offices for the baseball program, a weight room, team room and a fully functional press area.[193] Several Liberty Flames baseball players were drafted during the 2015 Major League Baseball draft. Local stations air some games.[194] Some games have aired nationally on ESPNU.[195]

Liberty University has men's and women's club ice hockey teams. Men's hockey started in 1985[196] when students at Liberty organized a team to compete against surrounding colleges and clubs[197] but has since become a competitive club team competing against much larger schools such as University of Oklahoma, University of Delaware, and Penn State University.[198] In 2006, Liberty University opened the 3,000-seat LaHaye Ice Center, a gift from Dr. Timothy and Beverly LaHaye.[199] Also in 2006, Liberty became the only school in the state of Virginia to host a men's Division I American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) club hockey team.[197] Currently, Liberty University has Division I, II, and III men's teams and Division I and II women's teams.[196] The men's Division I team is coached by Kirk Handy,[197] while the women's Division I team is coached by Chris Lowes.

The men's and women's cross country teams have long been a conference powerhouse, and Josh McDougal[200] (2007) and Samuel Chelanga (2009–2010) won the NCAA Div I individual laurels. Chelanga took two additional gold medals and three silvers in outdoor and indoor competition in three years, still holds the collegiate 10,000 meter record set in 2010, and won All-American honors 14 times.[201]

In 2018, ProPublica/New York Times reported that Liberty University students were sixth in terms of receiving federal aid for the year 2017. Most of Liberty University's revenue came from taxpayer-funded sources. ProPublica/New York Times reported that each of the university's 300 salespeople were pressured to enroll up to eight students per day. A division of 60 sales people targeted members of the military specifically because they had greater access to federal tuition assistance. The university's salespeople were instructed to make the university appear more affordable by describing the tuition costs per credits rather than per course. The salespeople were also instructed to not inform potential students of the Christian orientation of the education; the first classes include three required Bible-studies classes. The credits for the Bible-studies classes are usually not transferable to other universities, which disincentivizes students from leaving Liberty University for other universities. According to a former employee, the university accepts any student with a grade point average above 0.5 (equivalent to a D-minus).[19]

Liberty University has sponsored NASCAR driver William Byron, also a LU student, since 2014 in a late model program run by Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s JR Motorsports.[214] Liberty is in the midst of a two-year deal with Byron and Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series team Hendrick Motorsports.[215]

In 2010, students received about $445 million in federal financial aid money in 2010, the highest total of any school in Virginia and one of the highest in the country.[216][217] The total, a 56 percent increase over the prior year, was mostly in the form of student loans, but also included some grants and other forms of aid.[216] Campus officials estimated the total received in 2013 at $775 million.[218] In 2011, Liberty University blocked campus access to a local Lynchburg newspaper, the News & Advocate, after the newspaper reported on the school's dependence on federal financial aid.[219] Falwell Jr. said that the decision to block the newspaper was unrelated to content published in the paper.[220]

Liberty University students have a lower default rate compared to the national average of graduates from all schools. However, Liberty University students have a higher rate of defaults within three years of completing their studies compared to graduates of other private, non-profit, four-year colleges.[14][157] Liberty University spends far less on instruction than traditional private universities, for-profit colleges and other nonprofit religious colleges.[14] The New York Times reported that faculty at Liberty University acknowledge that Liberty University Online is a steep drop-off in quality relative to the traditional classes at the university.[14] Liberty denies the assertion, stating that both residential and online programs offer high-quality education opportunities. The online division at the Liberty University is a significant revenue source for the university.[221]

In connection with being named to a Trump administration task force on deregulating higher education, University president Falwell alluded, as an example of regulatory overreach and "micromanagement", to Obama-era regulations that govern student loan forgiveness for students who have been cheated by fraudulent colleges.[221][222]

Liberty University has been described as a "stage of choice in Republican presidential politics",[17] and a "pilgrimage site for GOP candidates."[15] According to the Washington Post, Republican candidates are drawn to the university because it is seen as a "bastion of the Christian right".[17] Ronald Reagan's close relationship with the university gave it significant publicity in its early years.[15] In 1990, 41st U.S president George H.W. Bush was the first sitting U.S. president to speak at Liberty's commencement.[224] In 1996, U.S. Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas gave the commencement address at Liberty University.[225]

Notable republican leaders Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Jeb Bush, Bobby Jindal, and John McCain have visited the campus.[14][18] Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson spoke at the university.[226] In 2017, President Donald Trump gave his first college commencement speech as sitting president at Liberty University.[227] In 2019, Vice President Mike Pence gave the commencement speech to graduates.[228][229] Liberty was a satellite location for CPAC 2019, hosting numerous conservative speakers on-campus.[230][231]

President Donald Trump speaks at Liberty University Commencement Ceremony.

In 2009, LU stopped recognizing LU's Democratic Party student group; school officials said this was because the Democratic Party platform goes against the school's conservative Christian principles.[232] Democrats such as Ted Kennedy, Bernie Sanders, and Jesse Jackson have spoken there.[15][16] In 2018, former 39th U.S. president Jimmy Carter gave the commencement speech.[233] Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and Hillary Clinton have rejected invitations to speak at LU.[15]

In a December 5, 2015, convocation speech, President Jerry Falwell Jr. encouraged the student body to obtain concealed handgun permits.[234] Falwell discussed the 2015 San Bernardino attack and said, "If more good people had concealed carry permits, then we could end those Muslims before they walked in."[234] This was met with public condemnation for singling out the Muslim religion rather than the act of terrorism. Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe called the statement "repugnant". Falwell later stated that he was referring to the Muslim shooters in the San Bernardino attack, not all Muslims.[234][235]

Jerry Falwell Jr.'s uncritical support for President Donald Trump,[236][237] has been characterized as a repudiation of Christian values.[238][239] The leadership's support for Trump has been an issue since his candidacy: a number of students protested the university's ties with Trump during his campaign, and were critical of LU president Jerry Falwell, Jr., over his staunch support of Trump.[18][240] Mark DeMoss, chief of staff of Falwell, was forced to resign from Liberty's board of trustees after criticizing the university's close affiliation with Trump.[241] Liberty University rescinded a speaking invitation of Jonathan Merritt, an alumnus of the school, after he criticized Liberty University. Liberty expelled Christian author Jonathan Martin from campus due to his repeated criticisms of the university's affiliation with Trump.[241][242]

In 2016, a student editor said that an opinion column critical of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump was censored by Falwell.[18][22][157][243] The column was written after lewd comments made by Trump on an Access Hollywood tape were made public.[243] Other articles in the student newspaper which mentioned Trump were reportedly spiked by faculty members.[244][245] In 2018, two student editors were fired for reportedly running articles that reflected negatively on Trump; one of the student editors lost a $3,000-a-semester scholarship.[244][246] In 2019, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education ranked Liberty University as among the worst universities in terms of free speech, citing the censorship at the student newspaper.[247]

Trump twice spoke at Liberty University's Convocation, in 2012 and 2016.[248] President Trump was the keynote speaker at the Liberty University commencement in May 2017 where he received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. Jerry Falwell commended Trump for "bombing those in the Middle East who persecute and kill Christians," and that Trump had "proved that he is a man of his word.”[248]

Some students protested when President Trump criticized both white supremacists and counter-protesters after the August 2017 Charlottesville rally where three people died and 33 were injured.[249] Following Trump's remarks, Falwell said that he was "so proud" of Trump for his "bold truthful" statement on the tragedy.[249] A number of students returned their diplomas to Liberty University and called on the university to disavow Trump's remarks.[249][250][251] The students argued that Trump's remarks were "incompatible with Liberty University's stated values, and incompatible with a Christian witness."[249]

In 2018, some Liberty students went to Washington, D.C., to support President Trump's Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh.[252]

Students at the university gave First Lady of the United States Melania Trump, along with several Trump cabinet officials who spoke at the university during a town hall about the drug epidemic, a standing ovation.[253][254][255]

In Spring 2018, Liberty's Zaki Gordon Cinematic Arts Center co-produced a feature film called The Trump Prophecy. The film focuses on a retired firefighter from Florida who says God revealed to him in 2011 that Trump would one day be President. The film was shown in select cinemas in October 2018.[93][94]

In 2019, The Wall Street Journal and Inside Higher Education reported that CIO John Gauger allegedly accepted cash, through his IT consulting firm unaffiliated with the school, to rig two online polls for Trump before he became a candidate.[256][257]