The Quiet Space is now open on campus, providing all members of the Stevens community with an area dedicated to prayer, meditation, and reflection in the lower level of the Student Wellness Center. In the past, students and organizations have had difficulty finding an established prayer space with no distractions. This new area, which holds a maximum of 20 people and is open all hours of the day, is the product of a large effort by members of the Muslim Student Association (MSA), the Stevens Christian Fellowship (SCF), the Diversity and Inclusion Committee (DNI), the Student Government Association (SGA), and Stevens administration. The space officially opened on August 30, 2021.
The MSA had a large role in the planning and creation process of the Quiet Space; students Laila Alshafie and Asim Qureshi played a substantial part in advocating for and setting up the new space. Alshafie, the former President of MSA who has been a member since her freshman year, frequently has members inquire about a place to pray on campus. Seeing the need for a designated space for prayer, she was a main contributor to the proposal that was submitted to administration in January 2020. After the proposal was approved, Alshafie participated in all of the required meetings for the planning of the space.
When asked if the Quiet Space met her expectations, Alshafie stated, “The space itself is a very warm and cozy place that makes you feel at ease. The only thing I would change is its location because not many people know where it is. But, I understand that it’s not a feasible thing to do now and we will work towards making its location known so that more people can take advantage of the space.” Additionally, Qureshi suggested different ways to better inform the Stevens community of the space’s purpose and location, such as placing signs within the Wellness Center that could better direct students to the space, as well as creating a weekly newsletter.
Qureshi played a similar role to Alshafie with his involvement in the project proposal, organization of the space’s furnishing, and collection of donations from supportive organizations such as the SGA. As a commuter student who prays five times a day, Qureshi explained he finds the Quiet Space to be helpful in providing a place to practice his faith without interruption. “I used to pray in stairwells, empty classrooms, hallways, any space I could find that was devoid of distractions. Overall, I am grateful for this new space as I currently use it 2-3 times a day and am glad that I could be a part of this successful initiative.” Both Alshafie and Qureshi credit others who were instrumental in the entire process including Dean of Students Kenneth Nilsen, Sara Klein (Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs), Liliana Delman (Assistant Director for Diversity Education), as well as students Adrian Castellanos, Leah Mitelberg, Mohkum Sethi, Hailey Tanner, Jason Buckman, Matthew Ross, Shafaq Tanweer, Dante Volpe, Kaitlyn Sharo, and several others.
Be First to Comment