Supporting Student Spirituality

Zadaphiya says he has gotten a lot of encouragement and support from Cummings, who serves as the club’s advisor, and from other staff in the Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Multicultural Education (ODIME) and the Office of International Student Life. As a result, last fall Hindu YUVA hosted a large public celebration for Ganesh Chaturthi, a multiday festival honoring the Hindu deity Ganesha. 

More than 350 students, faculty members, and staff attended a Hindu YUVA event at WPI during the 2023–24 academic year, according to Zadaphiya, who is happy that the new club is helping some students “build a home away from home” while also sharing their culture with others around campus. 

Sharing traditions is an important part of well-being for all students, but especially for those who come from cultures that aren’t dominant in the United States, notes Colleen Callahan-Panday, director of international students and scholars. 

“When you grow up in a community where most people are celebrating the same holidays and traditions, it can feel isolating to come to a new place where these familiar traditions are not widely celebrated and where some people might not even know they exist,” she says. “When members of the WPI community come together to celebrate, this helps everyone build a sense of belonging.”

In recent years, university leadership has placed greater emphasis on fostering the kind of environment where students trust that their religious beliefs will be valued and respected. 

“I see this initiative as WPI’s acknowledgement of complexities of belonging. Students—like everyone else—are motivated by a lot of different things. Religion is definitely one of them, even though it is not always visible to others,” says Yunus Telliel, assistant professor in the Department of Humanities and Arts and faculty advisor for the Muslim Students Association.

Telliel has worked closely with staff in the Dean of Students Office and ODIME to secure a quiet and private space in East Hall that Muslim students can access 24 hours a day to accommodate Islam’s five-times-daily prayer schedule.

“Providing this dedicated space in East Hall has asked our campus to really acknowledge and celebrate not just diversity but that we are here together,” Cummings says. “Once you name something, then it can be celebrated.”

That same principle has been at the root of other initiatives Cummings has championed. For example, he has worked with Dining Services to make certain foods available at specific times for students observing Ramadan, Passover, and other high holy days. He has also helped craft guidance for students, faculty, and staff on observing and accommodating religious holidays during the academic year. 

Valuing Nuance, Questioning Assumptions

Beyond those specific efforts, Clay notes that in the last couple years he has heard more nuanced and open dialogues at WPI about the many ways that religious expression influences students.

Many students, too, have noticed—and value—the welcoming atmosphere.

“Kalvin and the whole ODIME staff are an amazing support system, ensuring that the university is respecting diverse religious beliefs,” says Abigail Poole ’26, a biochemistry major and president of WPI’s Hillel chapter.

She appreciates that faculty members are likewise actively involved in religious conversations and organizations across campus. Poole adds, “Having good faculty support makes me feel like my whole identity, including my faith, is encouraged at WPI and that faith, well-being, and community are integral to our development and education.” 

This kind of environment helps to “mobilize curiosity and engagement,” says Telliel. 

As an anthropologist trained to think about cultures and how humans communicate about and across their cultural differences, Telliel is quick to point out that WPI still isn’t perfect in this regard. But he acknowledges the efforts that many are making to see, understand, and value the complex identities of those throughout the campus community. 

“We as a community need to ask a question that is practical and intellectual—and perhaps spiritual—at the same time,” he adds. “Do we want to build a culture that is supposed to be clear of all differences, so everyone feels welcome? Or should we strive for a common ground that invites folks to come together with others not despite but because of their differences?”

Callahan-Panday agrees. “Life as a college student is about learning new things. Sometimes we learn them in the classroom, but not exclusively,” she says. “Diversity within our community helps us all move toward a better understanding of the world we live in.”

Which brings us back to how science could possibly intersect with religion and why a rigorous STEM school has prioritized making diverse spiritual resources available to its students.

“Many people think the opposite of faith is doubt, but the opposite of faith is actually certainty,” says Clay. “Within science there is always a degree of unknown, things that cannot be explained.”

Put another way, “If you stay rigidly within a single methodology, you’ll never have innovation. For any method to grow and change and work toward better things, you need to step outside of it,” says Cummings. “That’s why WPI gives me hope for the world. If our students, who will go on to be leading engineers and programmers and scientists, are learning how to negotiate religious thought and practice, then they will be better prepared to incorporate civility into their work.”