Students Lindsay Hecker, left, and Sophia Chalabi are striving to elevate the profile of faith-based student groups and have worked with the university to secure a prayer room in University Hall. They said students of faith desire to gather socially and for worship, as well as a sense of affiliation and inclusion.
By Georgia Sparling
The growth of two religious organizations on campus has been a boon to Jewish and Muslim undergraduates while also raising questions about how the university can best support the faith and cultural traditions of its students.
Lindsay Hecker, a senior Expressive Art Therapy major and Hillel’s president, sought out the Jewish community her first semester at Lesley.
“Meeting someone of the same background or faith — it’s something you already have in common, something you can talk about off the bat,” she says.
Finding a university with a Jewish organization on campus was a non-negotiable for her.
“It has to do with inclusion and having a community of people that I relate to,” says Hecker, who doesn’t hesitate to approach her classmates and ask if they want to join Hillel.
‘Jew-ish’ gatherings
Lesley’s Hillel was very small when Hecker matriculated. She and a friend joined the executive board their first semester, and Hecker continued to be involved as the club moved to Zoom during Covid.
Returning to in-person meetings has been a boon for numbers, along with support from the Hillel Council of New England — a nonprofit that supports smaller Hillel campus groups. This year’s events have included an autumnal walk, an ice cream social and a middle school-themed mocktail night for Purim, with attendance reaching 20 people at some functions.
She notes that the club welcomes everyone — both the Jew and the “Jew-ish” — and there’s always an incentive for friends to stop by.
“We always have free food because we are college students,” Hecker jokes.
The search for community
Started this school year, the Muslim Student Association is a smaller group, but also born out of a desire for a familiar community.
Sophia Chalabi, a senior Psychology major, came to Lesley her junior year after attending Bunker Hill Community College. The transition from a more culturally and religiously diverse campus to Lesley was tough for the Syrian-American student.
“I didn’t meet any Muslims the first year. It was hard for me,” Chalabi says. She finally met another Muslim woman in her class last semester. That new friend had another Muslim friend. Three was enough to start the MSA.
“I’m really really, really happy to have found some Muslim students,” Chalabri beams. Although born in the U.S., she spent her early years in Syria, and she admits that she often finds it difficult to make American friends.
“Unconsciously I’m thinking, ‘Oh my God, this is a person who knows the American culture, who speaks the language.’”
Establishing MSA has helped her engage with fellow Muslims.
“We all are on the same page in terms of religious practices, but in terms of culture, we are pretty diverse,” she says, noting that their small group includes members of Pakistani, Trinidadian and, of course, Syrian background.
MSA has also been a way to connect with the larger Lesley community. The group has planned collaborations with Hillel, including an upcoming Ramadan-Passover event since the two observances overlap this year. A henna tattooing event is also in the works.
Events are open to all and have an educational aspect to give non-Muslims a better understanding of their Muslim peers.
“Then students will not feel like there is a cultural or religious barrier standing between me and them,” Chalabi says.
‘We’re small but we’re here’
Beyond the social aspect, both Hillel and MSA are advocating for more inclusion regarding religion on campus.
One of the first things Chalabi asked for was dedicated rooms where she and others could pray. As a Muslim, she is required to pray five times a day, which was difficult to do between classes.
“We would look for empty classrooms and pray in there,” she says. It made for stressful and awkward situations when someone would enter the room unaware that a student was praying.
Chalabi worked with the Lesley University Diversity Council and its chair, Education Professor Janet Sauer. Sauer, in turn, contacted Chief Operations Officer Joanne Kossuth to identify quiet rooms where students could pray. Sauer said she also brought the topic up with her students and found several would be interested in having a dedicated room for prayer, meditation or contemplation.
“There wasn’t really pushback. There was nothing against it. It was just that it had really been raised recently,” says Sauer, though she would like to see more intentionality with meeting the needs of religious students.
For the foreseeable future, that room is on the third floor of University Hall, Room 3-091.
Bwann Gwann, director of Multicultural Affairs and Student Inclusion, agrees and would also like to engage more with students of faith about their needs.
“I want to see more proactive measures,” says Gwann. “I want to help.”
Most students aren’t aware of the quiet rooms, she says.
Additionally, she and Hecker have raised issues concerning students’ dietary needs.
Hecker knows of only a few students who keep kosher at Lesley.
“I don’t keep kosher,” says Hecker, “but I was hoping there would be kosher food. It’s a big issue we’re working on.”
Tim Grills, director of hospitality, says he can purchase frozen kosher meals, but the selection is limited.
“That’s not what they’re looking for,” says Grills.
He is working with Hillel Council of New England and Harvard University to give students access to its dining options. If Lesley and Harvard sign an agreement, Jewish students who opt in, would have access to Harvard’s kosher dining options — a daily dinner and a bagged lunch but not breakfast.
This week, Chalabi and Hecker were among those attending a joint Ramadan/Passover dinner — featuring koser and halal fare — hosted by the two student organizations.
Beyond food, Hecker and other Jewish students have taken issue with the fact that first semester classes often coincide with Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah.
Hecker goes to class, but says, “It’s a decision we shouldn’t have to make.”
She wants to see faith groups become a part of larger community discussions at Lesley.
“We want to have a seat at the diversity table,” she says. “Having our voices heard would allow us to be seen and show the university that we exist.”
She adds, “We’re small but we’re here.”
