1. Religious Diversity Tasia Frater Reid Mc Cormick Kirsten Mclaughlin Joshua Urie Judith Velasquez

2. Introduction The purpose of this presentation is to shed light and awareness on religious diversity in student housing and what resident advisors should know in order to be more effective in their roles as leaders, counselors and mentors to the community they serve.

3. Learning Outcomes By the end of this training program, the students should be able to: 1. Define the notion of religious diversity on a college campus 2. Understand the many aspects of religious diversity 3. Recognize how religious diversity can affect a residence hall

4. Learning Outcomes cont’d 4. Effectively handle conflicts regarding religion 5. Create programming that complements different religious practices 6. Create action plans that promote religious diversity 7. Find more information for future learning

5. The Importance of RA Religious Diversity Training

6. Line Game Now we are RDs and you are our RAs. Luck you.

7. Religious Diversity As you can see, there is a great deal of religious diversity even among this group of RAs. There will be more on your floor.

8. Why? So why even discuss spirituality and religion, especially at a public institution?  This is not a superfluous topic.  Increasingly, contemporary students are becoming interested in integrating spirituality into their lives

9. Relevance of Discussing Religious Diversity on Campus- Are students even concerned with Religious/Spiritual matters? According to The Spiritual Life of College Students; A National Study of College Students’ Search for Meaning and Purpose Table 1. Indicators of Student’ Spirituality Indicator Percentage Believe in the sacredness of life…………………………………………………………………………83* Have an interest in spirituality................................................................................……….…………80* Search for meaning/purpose in life…………………………………………………………..………….76* Have discussions about the meaning of life with friends………………………………..……………74* My spirituality is a source of joy…………………………………………………………..….…………...64** See out opportunities to help me grow spiritually……………………………………........…………47*** * Describes student from some to great extent ** Agree somewhat to strongly *** Consider it very important to essential

10. Table 2. Indicators of Student’ Religiousness IndicatorPercentage Believe in God………………………………………………………………………………79* Pray..................................................................................................….........................69* Attend religious services....................................................................….......................81* Discussed religion/spirituality with friends................................................…................80* Discussed religion/spirituality with family.....................................................…............76* Religious beliefs provide strength, support and guidance..............................………...69** Follow religious teachings in everyday life.............................................................…..40*** *Occasionally to frequently ** Agree somewhat to strongly agree ***Consider it very important to essential

11. No Neutral Ground Engage Your Own Spirituality We will not be able to help any other student/person with their spirituality if we are not sure in our own. It must be stressed that even atheistic and agnostic positions are spiritual beliefs; there is no such thing as a neutral position. Thus, have the RAs find a picture, object, poem, et cetera that represents their spirituality. Thus, as RAs, you must be prepared to foster spiritual development in your students, even if you may not agree with their beliefs. Understanding your spiritual beliefs, as well as your relation to the beliefs of others, is a heightened responsibility by the very nature of your leadership position.

12. Theory College is a time when students are searching for meaning in life and examine their spiritual/religious beliefs and values “Spiritual and religious concerns underlie the day- to-day experiences of many students and may impact their academic, social, and emotional well-being in college.”

13. Religion “Shared system of beliefs, principles or doctrines related to a belief in and worship of a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator(s) and governor(s) of the universe”

14. Spirituality “…involves seeking personal authenticity, genuineness, and wholeness; recognizing concerns beyond oneself; connectedness to self and others through relationships and community; developing a sense of meaning, purpose, and direction; and openness to fostering a relationship with a higher power or center of value that transcends human existence and rational ways of knowing.”

15. Understanding Religious and Spiritual Dimensions The Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) Freshman Survey - completed in Fall 2000 and a follow up survey in Spring 2001 3,670 1 st year college students from 50 colleges over the country

16. In the study… Religiousness was characterized by the extent to which students attend religious services, discussed religion, participated in religious clubs or groups, and prayed or meditated. Spirituality was defined as the importance to students of integrating spirituality into their lives, as well as their self-rated spirituality in relation to others of the same age.

17. The Survey Results After first year in college students were  More committed to spirituality  Less religious active

18. What to do about this? Develop practices that attend to students’ spiritual needs Design programs that provide opportunities for students to reflect on big questions Offer information about religious organizations on campus to connect with faith Provide opportunities to discuss in an academic setting

19. “When others’ behavior violates a person’s values or beliefs, the individual tends initially to judge others to be wrong, rather than entertaining the notion that the others have different values and beliefs”

20. Diversity Development Framework Unawareness- Lack of Exposure to other Dualistic Awareness- Awareness of Other Questioning/Self Exploration- Questions of perception of self to other Risk Taking/Exploration of Other- Confront perceptions about other Integration/Validation-making complex choices about validating others

21. A Brief Interlude

22. So, as an RA, how do you do it? Some tips from us… Create a spiritual space on your floor Religious stereotype wall Faculty/Guest speakers Clubs and orgs on campus Provide information on local houses of worship

23. But bear in mind while programming… Avoid programs on religious holidays that prevent students from participating Do not single out one religion or faith Have religious representatives inform, not proselytize Not all students are religious, some are spiritual Not all students will understand the importance of religious diversity; be ready to have a conversation about this

24. Interactive Time!! Listen to our instructions and break up into small groups, please.

25. Questions Your new resident comes to you because his/her roommate is constantly playing Christian music and having bible studies in the room and demands a new roommate. What do you say and how do you handle the situation. You are unable to change roommates at this time. One of your residents comes to you and states that he/she does not feel their religious needs are being met in resident housing. Your resident is Muslim and concerned about openly practicing his/her religion out of fear of ridicule. How would you go about helping your resident? One of your residents comes to you because he/she overheard some other residents making fun of their religion. How would you handle this situation? One of your residents over heard you making a stereotypical remark about his/her religion and confronts you about it. How do you handle the situation? You have had constant complaints about one of your residents trying to convert other residents to his/her religion. You decide to speak with the resident and he/she states that it’s their right to exercise free speech. How do you handle the situation? One of your residents gets into a physical/verbal altercation on campus because he/she felt it was necessary to defend their religious beliefs. How would you handle the situation?

26. Debrief

27. Conclusion Survey/Evaluation

28. Questions and Answers