As students near the end of the semester, their attention is divided in many different ways. Seeing that little glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel, they push forward full steam ahead, sometimes out of excitement for the summer, but often out of necessity. The end of the semester is also a time to look back on the school year and on achievements made.
Many students choose to invest some of their time at UMD in the religious communities that are on campus. These groups meet on different evenings throughout the week and, during the school year, interact with people on campus and in the Twin Ports area. A few student-members of campus religious communities shared their highlights from the 2017-18 academic year. Take a look and see what these Bulldogs accomplished!
Minnesota Hillel
Alaina Phillips, president, and Max Stillman, vice president and treasurer, of the Jewish campus group, Minnesota Hillel, share that their community's mission is to “enrich the lives of students so they may enrich the Jewish people and the greater community.”
Max says, “Most meetings that we have are Shabbat (Sabbath) dinners. Shabbat is the day of rest, so it happens from Friday just after sunset until Saturday night.” He explains what those dinners are like: “Our typical meeting, or Shabbat, usually starts off with doing the blessings over the bread and the wine (we use grape juice). After we finish the blessings, we start off our dinner and have an open conversation to discuss whatever comes up.”
Alaina elaborates that the purpose of Minnesota Hillel and the best part about the group is the connections that student make with the Jewish community. She adds, “It’s a great way to connect with other Jewish students, especially for freshmen. From my experience, I know that it was hard to try to stay connected to religion freshman year. I wished that I had a group like Hillel! Now I do, and it feels awesome.”
Despite the “fears that people would discriminate against our group,” Max and Alaina both remember the highlights from this year. One of them, Alaina says, was “a leadership mission trip over winter break to Poland and Israel.” Max agrees, “This trip was an amazing opportunity to see the history of the Jewish people (Poland/Holocaust) and the current state of Jewish people (Israel).”
In addition to visiting Bentleyville and spending time with group members throughout the year, Max explains The Butterfly Project that Minnesota Hillel did on campus. He states, “It uses the lessons of the Holocaust to educate about the dangers of hatred and bigotry and cultivates empathy and social responsibility. Participants paint ceramic butterflies that are permanently displayed as symbols of resilience and hope, with the goal of creating 1.5 million butterflies around the world—one for each child who perished in the Holocaust and honoring the survivors.”
Minnesota Hillel is part of a larger Hillel organization, but here at UMD, it is student-run. Max and Alaina invite everyone to be part of the group, especially those who “are looking to grow their Jewish identity or if they aren’t Jewish at all and want to learn more about the Jewish culture.” Max affirms, “Students would want to join Hillel if they want a safe, welcoming environment to celebrate Jewish holidays and to get together with other Jewish students around their ages.”
You can learn more about Minnesota Hillel and their events by emailing [email protected].
Muslim Student Association (MSA)
Maleehah Ali, a senior UMD student and the president of the Muslim Student Association (MSA), tells the purpose of the student-run group: “The mission statement of MSA is to serve the campus community through educating our peers about the religion of Islam through meetings and events, and to also promote understanding and tolerance of the diverse religious traditions on campus.” She goes on, “The purpose of our group is to advance Muslims on campus both socially and spiritually by providing services that emphasize the establishment of brotherhood and sisterhood, and promoting community service both on and off campus.”
One of these service opportunities was a major success for MSA. Maleehah explains that MSA collaborated with local religious communities to organize a Rohingya fundraiser. “MSA and mosque members cooked and served food to people of the Duluth and Superior communities. Overall, the event raised $6,739.”
MSA has also interacted with other religious groups on campus, like The Navigators and Lutheran Campus Ministry. Maleehah elaborates, “As a student, being involved in our group will build tolerance and understanding of not only Muslims and Islam, but also the other beautiful religious organizations and cultural groups on campus. Our group emphasizes the importance of inclusiveness and diversity, and also provides a safe place to have discussions based on students’ differing viewpoints.”
MSA has hosted events such as Islam Awareness Week, the Islamophobia panel, and they table in Kirby to help students learn more about the Muslim faith. Students who want to learn more about Islam or grow in their personal Muslim faith can attend these events and participate in the group’s weekly meetings.
MSA meets weekly on Tuesday evening from 6-7 pm in the Split Rock Room (RDC 361).
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (IV)
UMD junior Wren Jones is the current president of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (IV). She shares several parts of IV’s ministry on campus. “One of the best parts about IV is our ethnic specific small group bible studies. We have multiple places for minority students to gather and discover more about faith, including our Black Campus Ministry Chapter, Asian American Bible Study. and International Student Ministry. These are designed to be a place where minority students feel comfortable to explore the Bible in a setting where their culture is valued and appreciated.”
Wren says, “Our vision is to see students and faculty transformed, campuses renewed, and world changers developed. The purpose of IV is to establish and advance at colleges and universities witnessing communities of students and faculty who follow Jesus as Savior and Lord.”
IV places great emphasis on interacting with students from all backgrounds. Wren reveals that one way that they do that is through proxy stations at the beginning of each semester. “This past spring semester, we did a proxy station about Martin Luther King Jr., where we used interactive posters that allowed us to have deep and meaningful conversations with students about race and how Jesus is our hope for racial reconciliation on our campus."
Other highlights from this year include a Pho Noodle Night, a trip to Gooseberry Falls, smelting, conferences, and bonfires.
Wren encourages students to come and learn more about IV to get involved. “Students who are interested in exploring their faith, diving deep into understanding the Bible, or students who are just curious and have questions all have a place at our table. No previous attendance or faith background is necessary.”
To get plugged into IV, come to their weekly meetings in the Kirby Rafters on Thursday evenings at 7:30 pm. IV also holds various small group meetings throughout the week for further Bible study.
Find a Community
The religious communities that shared their stories here are by no means the only ones that exist at UMD. No matter what a student's faith background is, they are welcome in any of these groups. To learn more about the religious communities on campus, visit the Council of Religious Advisors’ website and the Bulldog Link page for religious organizations.
Students are encouraged to keep their eyes and ears open around campus to discover organizations, clubs, and communities that interest them. Members agree that it is worth it.