La Voz

Currently, De Anza does not have a place for students to be contemplative, pray, chant or meditate. Conference rooms are not always available on short notice, and the quads are often full of people and distractions.

A peace room would be a center for meditation, chanting, contemplation and prayer, activities that will result in stress reduction and tranquility for students, faculty and staff.

A peace room will offer a safe space for these activities, whether students are religious or simply want a place to enjoy silence and unwind. With the stress of classes and campus life, students and faculty need such a space.

An open place won't do. Chanting, praying and meditating can be uncomfortable in public. The fear of judgment from onlookers can inhibit the full feel of relaxation a student is trying to reach.

The benefits of meditation and contemplation are becoming well known. The National Institutes of Health lists meditation as a way to relieve health problems such as anxiety, pain, depression and insomnia.

One argument against a peace room is that it threatens the separation of church and state. But, a peace room is not going to invade the classroom. Education at De Anza will stay the same. The change will allow De Anza students to have an opportunity to relax, and thus become more productive.

The room's neutrality and call for peace will be an opportunity for unity within religions. It will be an opportunity to meditate and pray together, to learn from each other and to gain understanding of one another's beliefs.

De Anza is not the first institution of higher education to support this type of room. The University of California at Davis and the University of Michigan both have "reflection" rooms on their campuses, with no detrimental side effects.

A peace room will have little or no effect on students who choose not to use it, but will have a major effect on those who do. Those who use it will find relaxation and feel less stress, which will carry into their interactions with other people. Students who are serene are less likely to get into arguments or fights. The peace room will bring peace to not just the participants, but in small stages, to the campus as a whole.


CON

With the recent endorsement and passing of the Peace Room initiative by the Campus Center Advisory Committee and the De Anza Student Body, students will now see their tuition dollars being spent on an idea that already exists in many forms around De Anza.

The forms include the Sunken Gardens, located in a relatively quiet area, where the waterfall feature provides great ambiance for relaxation and prayer. The library, where students often take naps, and the Euphrat Museum provide places where students can be alone and contemplate all the mysteries of the universe.

While the idea of an enclosed area where students and staff alike can congregate and meditate is indeed appealing, there are more pressing issues that need to be addressed. There is already growing concern about the shortfall between DASB funding requests and allocations.

A better solution is asking students who feel stressed out to sign up for stress or yoga classes, and not to take away funds from the student body.

Attention should also be paid to the law of unintended consequences when designating an area for prayer. Praying outside of the room might be seen as deviant behavior, opening students to harassment. If you find this far-fetched, look at the situation of smokers, who are harassed by students for smoking at entrances and exits on campus, after being banned from smoking on campus.

Another question is the longevity of such a controversial room. With every new year, there are new rounds of elections for the Senate, and other political and administrative positions on campus. With a change in the vanguard, those in power may see the Peace Room as a violation of the constitution, and choose to shut it down. Its closing may just end up alienating those who use it. There are few, if any, guarantees that such a room on campus will last over time.

In essence, the peace room's approval and building may end up caus- ing more problems than solutions. With already limited space, a stretched budget and iffy legality, its creation may bring everything but peace.

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