Religious Diversity At Miami Takes Center Stage

By Elise St. Esprit

Miami University journalism student

As the school year begins to settle down for many students, Miami University's Interfaith Center has stayed busy hosting a variety of events to showcase the diversity of religion on campus. The Interfaith Center, formerly called the Campus Ministry Center, serves both the Miami University and Oxford communities.

According to student volunteer Katie Wernke, the Center uses its different programs and events to promote the values of religious pluralism. It also works to be a safe place for everyone to engage in interfaith dialogue, support spiritual growth, and service to the community.

"We want it to be a place of open discussion and learning," Wernke says. "We want everyone to be able to engage in talking about our differences and how to accept them."

Interfaith Festival

On April 23, the Center held its annual Interfaith Festival at Uptown Park in Oxford. Both faith and non-faith organizations were present to speak about their beliefs and continue the conversation about diversity at Miami. Some of the organizations included Catholic Campus Ministry, Progressive Christian Campus Ministry, Muslim Student Association, Hillel Society, the Comparative Religious Student Association, and Secular Students of Miami.

"I took an intro comparative religion class this semester, just like for a Miami Plan class and I've really enjoyed it," says Miami junior Emily Marzina.

Marzina attended the festival along with her roommate Kaitlyn Spehar. Both women identify as Christian, but said they wanted to see what other faith organizations Miami had.

"It's important I think for people to talk and understand each other's differences, I'm glad Miami gives us opportunities like that," Spehar continued.

The festival was catered by several Oxford restaurants including Buffalo Wild Wings, Phan Shin, and kosher restaurant Amma's Kitchen. There was also live entertainment, games, and raffle prize for attendees.

Better Together Week

The first week of April was declared "Better Together" week by the Religious, Spiritual, and Secular Initiatives Coordinating Committee and the Ford Family Initiative for Spirituality, Meaning, and Purpose. It was a week of programming focused on interfaith understanding for Miami students.

A variety of programs were hosted by different societies on campus, such as an interactive yoga demonstration by the Comparative Religious Student Association where students could learn how yoga is used in religion.

Students could also stop by Armstrong Student Center to paint tiles in a way that represented their religious, spiritual, philosophical identity or what "better together" meant to them.

On Tuesday of Better Together week, the Interfaith Center hosted a free potluck dinner and group discussion where students and Oxford residents were encouraged to bring a dish special to them and take part in a conversation about what it means to be spiritual, but not religious.

Parker McIntyre, a sophomore student, attended the dinner and discussion after hearing about it from a friend. While he didn't bring anything for the potluck, he did contribute to the talk.

"I grew up in a really small town, and we never really had the chance to have these kinds of discussions there, about faith, and questioning things and is it even possible to be spiritual but not religious," McIntyre says. "One of my favorite things about going to Miami is that we have opportunities like this, to talk, and question, and learn."

Looking Ahead

Next year the Interfaith Center hopes to continue working with Miami students and Oxford residents on connecting with others and accepting differences and diversity in faith.

According to junior student Lulu Abdun, who has worked with the Center since her freshman year, the Center hopes to sponsor more events focusing on service, social justice, and spiritual growth in the next year.

"I'm so grateful for the time I have gotten to spend with the Interfaith Center, and all the different religious and non-religious organizations on campus," Abdun says. "I've met so many people who have opened my eyes to so many different ideas and I'm happy to have the opportunity to exploring faith as a community committed to acceptance, learning, and service."

Photo: Miami University's Interfaith Center located on Campus Avenue. --Photo by Elise St. Esprit