Reflection room opens in Anderson Street Hall
By: Troy Montigney
Issue date: 8/28/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
A new reflection room, located on the first floor of Anderson Street Hall, is now available for student use.
Plans for the reflection room were set in motion last May, when a group of students expressed an interest in starting a student meditation group. The Center for Spiritual Life took initiative and addressed what director Brad Tharpe said he feels is one of the campus' needs.
"I would say there was a general demand for spaces like the reflection room," Tharpe said. "People want a quiet place, somewhere to meditate or pray, or just be for a little bit."
Tharpe said he hopes the recently-completed room will eventually become a familiar place of relaxation for members of the DePauw community. The reflection room is intended for individual use of any kind, he added, and compliments the larger sanctuary just down the first floor corridor in Anderson Street.
"It gives the whole hallway a worshipful, reflective quality," he said.
The reflection room was designed to be a meditative environment, with a constant cool temperature and a pleasant aroma. Along with plush purple cushions of many shapes and sizes, the room features a shelf of renowned spiritual and religious texts. Tharpe said the room is open to changes, providing that students invest time and resources.
"The point of the room in some ways is to be unstructured," Tharpe said. "We wanted something that would have a broad appeal across different religions and different types of people."
Junior Jon Ferguson has made use of the reflection room twice so far this semester. He said the room will likely accomplish the goal Tharpe and the Center for Spiritual Life had in mind.
"I think it will give students, especially those from non-traditional religions, an area where they can grow spiritually by themselves," Ferguson said.
The new reflection room may prove to be short-lived, though, as the future of Anderson Street Hall is uncertain. The building has sat mostly empty in recent years, but this year's large freshman class necessitated the use of its second and third floors for student housing.
"It is likely that Anderson Street Hall will be torn down after this academic year," said Dean of Students Cindy Babington. "If we hit our target enrollment goals, we should not need to use it for housing next year."
Ferguson thought the campus might eventually be able to sustain additional reflection rooms.
"I think that we can add additional ones as this one becomes used more," Ferguson said. "As far as where they could be located, we will have to see how the University evolves in the next year as far as available space."
In spite of the circumstances, Tharpe is not overly concerned about the impending destruction of the reflection room's facility.
"We created the reflection room knowing that Anderson Street Hall was not going to last forever," Tharpe said. "There is nothing in the reflection room that we can't move except for the paint. We will work hard with our various constituents to figure out where it will be in the future."
Plans for the reflection room were set in motion last May, when a group of students expressed an interest in starting a student meditation group. The Center for Spiritual Life took initiative and addressed what director Brad Tharpe said he feels is one of the campus' needs.
"I would say there was a general demand for spaces like the reflection room," Tharpe said. "People want a quiet place, somewhere to meditate or pray, or just be for a little bit."
Tharpe said he hopes the recently-completed room will eventually become a familiar place of relaxation for members of the DePauw community. The reflection room is intended for individual use of any kind, he added, and compliments the larger sanctuary just down the first floor corridor in Anderson Street.
"It gives the whole hallway a worshipful, reflective quality," he said.
The reflection room was designed to be a meditative environment, with a constant cool temperature and a pleasant aroma. Along with plush purple cushions of many shapes and sizes, the room features a shelf of renowned spiritual and religious texts. Tharpe said the room is open to changes, providing that students invest time and resources.
"The point of the room in some ways is to be unstructured," Tharpe said. "We wanted something that would have a broad appeal across different religions and different types of people."
Junior Jon Ferguson has made use of the reflection room twice so far this semester. He said the room will likely accomplish the goal Tharpe and the Center for Spiritual Life had in mind.
"I think it will give students, especially those from non-traditional religions, an area where they can grow spiritually by themselves," Ferguson said.
The new reflection room may prove to be short-lived, though, as the future of Anderson Street Hall is uncertain. The building has sat mostly empty in recent years, but this year's large freshman class necessitated the use of its second and third floors for student housing.
"It is likely that Anderson Street Hall will be torn down after this academic year," said Dean of Students Cindy Babington. "If we hit our target enrollment goals, we should not need to use it for housing next year."
Ferguson thought the campus might eventually be able to sustain additional reflection rooms.
"I think that we can add additional ones as this one becomes used more," Ferguson said. "As far as where they could be located, we will have to see how the University evolves in the next year as far as available space."
In spite of the circumstances, Tharpe is not overly concerned about the impending destruction of the reflection room's facility.
"We created the reflection room knowing that Anderson Street Hall was not going to last forever," Tharpe said. "There is nothing in the reflection room that we can't move except for the paint. We will work hard with our various constituents to figure out where it will be in the future."
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