The United Meditation Room will open to Ohio University and surrounding communities at 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 16, on the fifth floor of OUs Alden Library.

Created to support OU students, staff and faculty as well as community members various faiths, beliefs and religious practices, the United Meditation Room is a student-led initiative that has received support from throughout the OU community and beyond. It was designed not only to provide a space at the center of the Athens Campus for individuals to gather for meditation, reflection and/or prayer, but also to recognize the religious and spiritual needs as well as the diversity of the OU community.

More than a year ago, doctoral student Hashim Pashtun took the idea to the staff at OUs Office of Global Affairs and International Studies and reached out to Senior Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Jenny Hall-Jones. Those conversations led to a meeting with University Planner Shawna Bolin.

The group conducted research, looking at what other college and universities, including OUs peer institutions, were doing in this realm and found that several of them have dedicated meditation spaces on their campuses. They also reached out to various administrators and offices on the Athens Campus to gauge their level of support. The idea received full support from OUs administration.

OUs Division of Student Affairs contributed the funds to cover minor construction, most notably the relocation of technology in the room and reconfiguration of the rooms entryway to make it a public entryway rather than an office entryway.

Pashtun reached out to individuals in the OU and Athens communities who are affiliated with different religions for their input on how best to make the room a neutral space in which all feel welcome.

Everything from the color of the rooms walls to the minimal furnishings within the room was selected with neutrality and inclusivity in mind. The room will include a mobile partition for privacy, a shoe rack for those whose religious beliefs require shoe removal, and a shelf for books on all faiths and religions.

Guidelines for the meditation room that are being developed will be posted on-site and on a webpage that is being created for the room. The room will not be staffed or reservable and will be open during Alden Librarys regular operating hours.

Pashtun said his hope is that people use this room not only as a space to meditate, self-reflect and escape the stresses of life, but also to witness how others engage in these activities and to seize an opportunity to engage with one another.

Read more:

Meditation room to open at OU's Alden Library - Athens Messenger (registration)