REPOST: Prayer, Meditation, and Reflection at UMBC

Thu, 24 Feb 2022 14:57:37 -0500

Prayer, Meditation and Reflection at UMBC

In August 2021, the Gathering Space for Spiritual Well-Being opened its doors as the newest identity-based space at UMBC. The Gathering Space is a multi-faith spiritual identity space shared by 22 religion and belief organizations. As religion and belief organizations began to move into the Gathering Space, it became abundantly clear that there was a significant need for additional prayer, reflection, and meditation spaces on campus.

As our campus and community continue to navigate health and wellness crises, students with closely-held religious identities face additional burdens of living their truth safely as they practice their religious obligations and build community around their religious identities. As recently as January 2022, citizens across the country have experienced being accosted, threatened, and more because of their religious and spiritual practices–these events have impacted our very own campus community.

Initiatives for Identity, Inclusion & Belonging (i3b) strives to support all students across identities and takes seriously our need to advocate for students living at multiple intersections of marginality, including religion or spiritual identity. As we continue to deepen our infrastructure for spiritual and religious diversity and interfaith and pluralistic engagement opportunities at UMBC, i3b is excited to announce additional prayer spaces on campus. Through working closely with Dean Keith Bowman from the College of Engineering, Dr. Timothy Hackman in the Albin O. Kuhn Library, and Ryan Sheldon from the English Language Institute, we have secured three additional spaces to expand additional accessible options for prayer, reflection, and meditation.

New Spaces:

Room 367 - Library

This space is designated only for prayer, reflection, and meditation, and can accommodate up to 3 people praying at a time. The space is equipped with a small bench and prayer mats. UMBC ID is required to access the space, using a card reader. This space is available according to Library building hours.

Room 234 - Information Technology Building (ITE)

This space is designated only for prayer, reflection, and meditation, and can accommodate up to 3 people praying at a time. The space is equipped with a small bench and prayer mats. UMBC ID is required to access the space, using a card reader. This space is available according to the Information Technology Building hours of 7:30 am to 11:00 pm.

English Language Institute - Center for Global Engagement, 207 University Center

The English Language Institute is designated as an accessible space for prayer, reflection, and meditation. The number of users is dependent on available space at the time of need. Students should visit the front desk of the Center for Global Engagement on the 2nd floor of the University Center to check for available prayer space. UMBC ID or sign-in is required to access the available spaces. The space options include unused classrooms that may have a general classroom furniture setup.

Additional Spaces:

Women’s Center - Suite 004, Ground Floor, The Commons

The Maxine Tracy Wellness and Lactation Room inside the Women’s Center is designated as an accessible space for prayer, reflection, and meditation. This space is available according to Women’s Center Hours. This space can be reserved by ​​contacting the Women's Center staff at 410-455-2714 or womenscenter@umbc.edu. This space is also available outside of the Center’s hours of operation when The Commons is open through reservations only. Please reserve the space using this form.

The Mosaic: Center for Cultural Diversity - Suite 2B23, 2nd floor, The Commons

The Mosaic Center is designated as an accessible space for prayer, reflection, and meditation and can accommodate up to 3 people praying at a time. UMBC ID or sign-in is required to access the available spaces. The space is available Wednesday - Friday from 8:00 am - 5:00 pm (Mosaic Center hours).

Pride Center - Suite 2B23, 2nd Floor, The Commons

The Pride Center is designated as an accessible space for prayer, reflection, and meditation and can accommodate up to 3 people at a time. UMBC ID or sign-in is required to access the available spaces. The space is available Monday - Thursday from 8:00 am - 8:00 pm; Friday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm (Pride Center hours).

Gathering Space for Spiritual Well-Being - 103, Center for Well-Being

The Gathering Space is designed for congregational or large group prayer, as well as other faith-oriented, mindfulness, or spiritual well-being activities. The Gathering Space can accommodate up to 26 people praying at a time. UMBC ID or sign-in is required to access the available spaces. The space is available from Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 10:00 pm (Gathering Space Hours).

*If your department or college is interested in exploring space options to expand and support prayer needs on campus, please contact i3b@umbc.edu.