By Sara Chernikoff
Terps Interfaith Exchange hosted its second discussion of the semester on Wednesday, Oct. 16, during which participants concluded that the university must become more accessible and inclusive to students of non-Christian religions. The discussion was co-hosted by the Memorial Chapel and STAMP engagement.
Participants emphasized the need for safe spaces dedicated to spiritual diversity on college campuses, particularly our own.
“This type of programming focused on spiritual diversity is absolutely necessary, along with talking about how can we make people of minority faiths feel included and appreciated, not just tolerated,” said Nick Schmitz, chair of the interfaith student leadership council.
Schmitz, a senior government and politics major, said a majority of participants at the first discussion in September were Christian. The second discussion had more Muslim, Jewish, agnostic and questioning participants.
Schmitz said the purpose of Terps Interfaith Exchange is to build community, affirm diversity and bridge differences. He believes faith gives people a space to do this.
Participants discussed how representations of their religious identity in the media often creates a negative stereotype. Some Muslim student participants shared that they often find themselves having to correct misconceptions about their religious customs to non-Muslims. Educating others about their culture and religion can be an extremely heavy emotional burden, according to the students.
Sama Sabihi, a graduate student studying higher education and student affairs, helped lead the interfaith discussion.
“There is still work that needs to be done, especially in accommodating non-Christian religions. We need more places for folks to pray. The university needs to better accommodate to religious holidays outside of Christian holidays,” Sabihi said. She added that the university could improve their alternative dining options for students with religious dietary restrictions.
Participant Cheyenne Hsu, a junior physics major, said she’s been questioning her faith for a while and was looking for a new direction. Hsu said she resonated with the topic of needing to experience discomfort in order to grow.
“When we feel comfortable we have the tendency to hide behind a mask,” Hsu said.
Having safe spaces for cohesion allows individuals to take off this mask and open up to people different from themselves, according to Hsu.
“This series of discussions is a seed. This is one of the first ways students can learn about different faiths and learn how to support one another: through conversing across different faiths,” Sabihi said. The Terps Interfaith Exchange is open to the public and will host its next discussion Nov. 13.