The Interfaith Council serves as sign of hope for non-Christians on campus, Augustana students say

A group of Augustana University students gathered in solidarity, sitting in a circle and chanting prayers from their respective religions one after another, to commemorate the official reopening of the Interfaith Room.

Students covered their heads with scarves as a sign of respect for the sacred space, while symbols of different non-Christian religions surrounded them, adding color and vibrancy.

The opening of the Interfaith Room, located in the Morrison Commons Building at Augustana University, took place Feb. 28 and was intended to be a renewal of sorts. It was a marked moment of healing from a traumatic moment in January 2023, when the sacred space was taken away by the administration without the council’s consent or knowledge.

In December 2022, the room was stripped of its religious symbols and sacred texts for a brief period, its identity as an interfaith space symbolically taken away for that time. The disrespect with which the sacred items were handled reflected the lack of religious and spiritual freedom for students, according to previous Argus Leader reporting.

While students were given the interfaith room back in January 2023, the opening held in February was about officially reclaiming ownership of the space and its symbolization of students’ freedom to practice their traditions and religiosity without interference.

The event was organized by the Augustana University Interfaith Council, a student-led group dedicated to uplifting the voices of non-Christian faiths on campus. The group, representing five religions, consists of Isha Hooda and Ashirvad Sharma of Hinduism, Raleigh Lunderman of Native American faith, Avneet Tiwana of Sikhism, Nasteho Abdi, Mariam Alinizi and Maya Madson of Islam and Michael Schmidt of Christianity.

“Being a part of the interfaith council was for me to learn about different religions,” said Hooda, president of the council. “And also, I think it’s a really nice way to create a sense of belonging on campus, when people feel like they have a place to be every week.”

The Interfaith Room opening began with the Native American ritual of smudging to cleanse the atmosphere in the room, followed by a circle of prayers and intentions shared by each person. The end was the recitation of a Sikh prayer for new beginnings, which this reopening signified for the room.

“I’m so grateful for the students who came before us in helping create this space, and I’m so grateful for the students that we have here,” said Interfaith Chaplain Jen Dreiske, who belongs to the Judaism faith and serves as a supervisor for the council. “I’m grateful for the administration and faculty staff understanding the importance of how interfaith work brings a sense of belonging and connection.”

Since when has the Interfaith Room been around?

The Interfaith Reflection Room, first established in the year 2017 with resources from Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC), was one of the early milestones in Augustana’s interfaith journey over the last decade, according to Augustana’s Interfaith History documents.

The interfaith conversation at Augustana began in 2014 when two Christian students from Campus Ministry approached me and expressed their desire to learn about religions other than their own, said senior campus Pastor Ann Rosendale who serves a supervisor for the council. This led to Augustana forming a relationship with IFYC, now known as Interfaith America, a Chicago-based non-profit.

As the conversation gathered more substance, numerous organizations were founded along the way, according to documents. Better Together was founded as an official student organization in 2015 and Open Minds was established in 2016 to represent non-religious worldviews.

It was in the fall of 2021 that the Interfaith Council came to be as a separate body, a year after Augustana saw its first non-Christian students assume the position of interfaith leaders.

The Interfaith Council and Its Impact

As the Interfaith council group grew in its reach and impact, additions of meditation and interfaith rooms, bringing in an interfaith chaplain on campus, and changing “Campus Ministry’s” brand name to “Office of Faith and Spiritual Life,” are a few of the many changes that were seen.

“I think the Interfaith Council is a sign of hope. It’s a sign that the university is more willing to listen to to all of the students on campus who might not be Christian,” said Tom King, former council member and current member of the Better Together group. “I (also) worry about it sometimes, because when religious groups have to work with the governing body of an institution, there can be some conflict. So, I’ve been interested to see how the new generation of interfaith council members deal with that friction.”

The most recent win of the council was the students’ trip to Blaine, Minnesota, in January this year to consult with Augustana’s Doctorate of Physical Therapy department about an interfaith room. The trip was an insightful learning experience where they visited numerous places of worship belonging to different religions, said students.

“It was humbling. And it was humbling on so many levels,” said Dreiske, who accompanied students on the trip. “It was humbling in realizing what you don’t know and realizing that you want to be curious and you want to do things right.”

The religious learning continues to take place through newly introduced weekly discussions called “Chai and Chat” where students learn about a different religion every week, as well as religious festival celebrations on campus. The council is also currently working on introducing an “Interfaith week” on campus in order to create more awareness and recognition about the group.

“We’re partnering with other organizations on campus to do events, because we think that religious holidays can help create a sense of belonging on campus,” said Hooda, who brought the idea of “Chai and Chat” to the table. “We actually have a plan of doing an interfaith fest, hopefully this summer.”

The collective goal of the council is to actively create a space for conversations about non-Christian faiths and celebration of their practices in an institution of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. It is about understanding and figuring out how their religious beliefs fit into the wider framework of diversity in the world, especially as they each continue to learn more about religions different from their own, said Schmidt.

“To me, it shows a sign of unity, that all of these different religions and spiritualities on campus can come together. I think that’s really powerful,” said Alinizi, Interfaith Council member. “I like educating other students around campus, because we do go to a Christian university (and) most people aren’t used to seeing those different religions and cultures.”

What's next for the Interfaith Council?

Alinizi said she wanted to bring more focus to the Muslim Student Association, an organization established in 2017 during President Donald Trump’s administration’s “Muslim Ban,” as that is another group that is strictly associated with religion. Similarly, Tiwana, also a council member, said she wants to bring more Sikh traditions and festivals to the campus, as Sikhism doesn’t have as much representation in the student body as Hinduism and Islam.

Hooda and Schmidt reiterate the council’s goal of creating long-term event schedules and calendars to be followed, which would list a concrete set of celebrations and the resources to bring them to fruition. Lunderman, on the other hand, talked about wanting to create a multicultural center of sorts, which would have divisions for each religion to have its own representation.

“A space where we can have a section to ourselves, but also be collective with each other when we need to be,” said Lunderman.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: The Interfaith Council serves as sign of hope for non-Christians on campus, Augustana students say