There is a committee at Gustavus comprised of students and faculty who are dedicated to the new Interfaith Space and getting students involved it. One of those students is Senior, Joe Dipple, who has helped run a meditation group for three years which takes place every Tuesday from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Dipple feels that it is extremely important to have this space on campus and feels it is nice to know that we have an area that is dedicated to interfaith practices for anyone and everyone.

“I think there are a lot of religions and spiritual beliefs that aren’t represented on campus that could be through the interfaith space and I think it is important to have a place for those views to be shown,” Dipple said.

Morning meditations also takes place in this area everyday during Chapel break from 10 a.m. to 10:20 a.m. This space is not just utilized for meditation; the MOSIAC group as well as other individuals use this quiet area for prayer time and meditating. Recently, the students and faculty have made it possible to purchase 25 new meditation cushions as well as install coat hangers and are currently working on purchasing shoe cubs, floor lamps, and nice pieces of artwork to make the space more comfortable and inviting for students.

The main goal for the Interfaith Space is in the near future when the Anderson Social Science Center is renovated, there will be a space dedicated as the new and improved Interfaith Space. The Anderson Social Science building seems promising for a new, larger room approximately 30 by 60 feet with many large windows and storage space.

Students and faculty involved in the decisions and progress of the Interfaith Space are very anxious for renovations and to finally have a larger room for students. However, renovations have been put back three to five years by the administration of the College. As for now, the Interfaith Committee is making good use of what they have and pushing towards creating a more comfortable, relaxed, and opening room for all students and faculty.

Peter Meagher, Assistant Dean of Students, thinks it is essential to have an Interfaith room and believes it has been successful thus far and will only progress. The main groups to utilize this space include: MOSIAC, meditation groups, and the Mindfulness Stress Reduction Group.

“I think that it allows for and promotes the idea of an inclusive campus community . . . it’s a way to affirm our Lutheran heritage but also to practice reaching across difference . . . the interfaith space was intended as a short-term solution to create some space on campus that would allow folks of different faiths to practice their faith traditions,” Meagher said.

Carolyn O’Grady, Director of International and Cultural education and Professor in Education, also agrees with Peter Meagher about the Interfaith Space being essential to Gustavus. O’Grady appreciates those who have pushed for this space and says they are all working on the programming so others are aware of other forms of spiritual practice other than Lutheran chapel services and hope to engage in dialogue about that topic. O’Grady says the advisory committee is trying to work on events that will bring in people who engage in different types of spiritual practices, which will be interfaith sponsored events either this semester or sometime in the fall.

“I think [the Interfaith Space]responds to a need that we have, which is that about 15-20 percent of our students either don’t identify as Christian, do identify as something other than Christian or are seeking if they are Christian to explore other forms of spiritual practice or learn more about other traditions,” O’Grady said.

O’Grady is ecstatic about making progress with the Interfaith Space and their group of participants who simply care about keeping this space on campus. O’Grady says if students or faculty have any questions or concerns about the Interfaith Space or the Anderson building, they should talk to President Ohle, as well as the cabinet level administration which consist of JoNes Van Hecke, Mark Braun, Ken Westphal, Tom Young, and Tom Crady.