Gustavus Adolphus College will celebrate the creation of the Leadholm Interfaith Room from 5-7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 6. The new Interfaith space is located on the lower level of the C. Charles Jackson Campus Center adjacent to the Diversity Center and the Office of Residential Life.
The Leadholm Interfaith Room is intended to be a safe and welcoming space for members of the Gustavus community of all religious beliefs and traditions to utilize for events, meetings, and individual spiritual purposes.
“Students were passionate about having an Interfaith space and really wanted to see this happen,” said Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students JoNes VanHecke. “The College has also been looking at this issue for a long time and it was listed as a recommendation in the College’s strategic planning process, Commission Gustavus 150.”
Many students are already taking advantage of the new space as there is a daily morning meditation session at 10 a.m. The student organization MOSAIC, which looks to bring students and student groups of various faith, religious, and observant traditions together to engage one another in open dialogues and positive exchanges from an interfaith perspective, is also using the space for its weekly Thursday night meeting at 6:30 p.m.
“The interfaith space is a big step for Gustavus,” junior Joseph Dipple said. “Our campus is showing its acceptance and dedication to equality.”
Junior Andrei Hahn agrees with Dipple that the new Interfaith Room is a positive step for the campus.
“I have a lot of friends of diverse spiritual and religious backgrounds and I myself, still exploring my own spirituality, see the value in learning about other traditions,” Hahn said. “I hope that people come to Tuesday’s event to celebrate this step forward for Gustavus, as well as to meet faculty, staff, and students from all religious and spiritual backgrounds to begin the dialogue and learning.”
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