2008 Woodie Awards
Students seek 'interfaith' room on campus
Dan Sealana
Issue date: 4/24/06 Section: News
Despite all the facilities and programs that De Anza College has to offer, some students feel that the campus is missing one thing: a place to pray and meditate.
Scott McDonough, the Secretary of De Anza's World Peace Buddhist club, is one of the major supporters of designating an interfaith meditation room on campus. McDonough, who has been a practicing Buddhist for 30 years, says the idea of building an interfaith room on campus stemmed from a conversation he had with a member of the Muslim Student Association after De Anza's Day of Rememberance in February.
According to the group's Web site, the room would be designated for "an indoor, centrally located, distraction-free space on the De Anza Campus for the purpose of contemplation, meditation, stress reduction and mindfulness."
Proponents of the room are seeking to have it built into the remodeled Campus Center, which is scheduled to open in the fall.
McDonough acknowledges that an interfaith room on campus may raise concerns about the separation of church and state. This is one of the reasons why he favors the name "Peace Room" as one of the names being considered as an alternative to "interfaith."
Even though he is an active supporter of the room, McDonough said he has concerns about the project. "I have mixed feelings about the peace room, because I don't know how much it would be used."
McDonough said that having an interfaith room on campus would give students the opportunity to meet people of other religions and to have "interfaith mingling."
De Anza student Michaelina Znijewskaya is another supporter of the proposed room.
"The emphasis is not really so much 'interfaith' rather a place where students of any background, any creed, any belief system, even people who just have learning differences, depressive disorders, or who just need to have quiet time to be introspective and to meditate or just think about things can come and be centered in between classes," Znijewskaya said.
Scott McDonough, the Secretary of De Anza's World Peace Buddhist club, is one of the major supporters of designating an interfaith meditation room on campus. McDonough, who has been a practicing Buddhist for 30 years, says the idea of building an interfaith room on campus stemmed from a conversation he had with a member of the Muslim Student Association after De Anza's Day of Rememberance in February.
According to the group's Web site, the room would be designated for "an indoor, centrally located, distraction-free space on the De Anza Campus for the purpose of contemplation, meditation, stress reduction and mindfulness."
Proponents of the room are seeking to have it built into the remodeled Campus Center, which is scheduled to open in the fall.
McDonough acknowledges that an interfaith room on campus may raise concerns about the separation of church and state. This is one of the reasons why he favors the name "Peace Room" as one of the names being considered as an alternative to "interfaith."
Even though he is an active supporter of the room, McDonough said he has concerns about the project. "I have mixed feelings about the peace room, because I don't know how much it would be used."
McDonough said that having an interfaith room on campus would give students the opportunity to meet people of other religions and to have "interfaith mingling."
De Anza student Michaelina Znijewskaya is another supporter of the proposed room.
"The emphasis is not really so much 'interfaith' rather a place where students of any background, any creed, any belief system, even people who just have learning differences, depressive disorders, or who just need to have quiet time to be introspective and to meditate or just think about things can come and be centered in between classes," Znijewskaya said.
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Anonymous
posted 5/16/06 @ 10:58 AM PST
We need a video game room too.
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