Growing up Jewish in Brooklyn, New York was quite easy for me. I never felt left out or depressed during the holiday season. I remember celebrating many diverse religious celebrations with my friends. These celebrations came from the great religions of Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Paganism, Wiccanism, Sikhism, Taoism, Native American Tradition, Islam, Jainism, Baha’I, Zoroastrianism, Agnosticism, Atheism, and of course Judaism.

On August 20, 1991, I boarded a plane to attend college at Central Michigan University. Little did I know that this would be my first real experience with "cultural shock." After my first semester at CMU I realized how different the Midwest was religiously, ethnically, politically, and of course geographically/geologically (since I was an Earth Science major as an undergraduate).

I remember leaving CMU for my first semester holiday break and remember many of my new friends on my residence hall wing saying "Merry Christmas" and or "have a nice Christmas Break." This was a big shock to me, since growing up in New York, I was always accustomed to everyone saying "Happy Holidays" or specifically knowing what holidays you did or did not celebrate and accommodated you by using the correct holiday terminology (i.e. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Happy Bodi Day, Happy Ramadan etc). When I heard this remark ("Merry Christmas") directed at me I was in shock! I did not know how to react. I remember usually saying "Happy Holidays," which sometimes made my friends look back at me confused, since I did not say "Merry Christmas" back at them. At the time, I also remember being too scared and afraid to "come out" and tell anyone that I was Jewish and did not celebrate Christmas like the majority of CMU and the Midwest.

During my sophomore year at CMU I remember taking a Historical Geology class which challenged and made me re-evaluate and question my Jewish religion and religious beliefs. I basically eventually abandoned my Jewish beliefs and became an Agnostic Scientist. After four great years at CMU I went to graduate school at the University of Northern Iowa to study Geography and Higher Education: Student Affairs. Iowa became an even greater "cultural shock" for me.

During graduate school as a resident assistant and assistant hall coordinator, I met a few undergraduate students who lived in the residence halls who were Jewish, Pagan, Muslim, Atheist, and Agnostic. These students shared many of the same experiences that I experienced as an undergraduate at CMU. We all realized how much of a religious minority one was if they were not Christian in the Midwest. I remember one of my Muslim residents expressing to me how much attention colleges and universities paid to black students at predominately white colleges and how they need to also pay attention to non-Christian students on predominately Christian campuses. Racial diversity is very easy to see on college and university campuses with the naked eye, but can you see religious diversity and many other types of diversity with the naked eye on college and university campuses?

Many of these conversations with students caused me to access the need for greater religious diversity programming in the residence halls and on college campuses. These situations and conversations with religiously diverse students also helped me to develop a passion for religious diversity programming in the residence halls and throughout college campuses. I basically wanted to reach out to all religious minorities on my college campus. It is my opinion that religious minorities should be designated protected classes on college campuses. Not enough residence life professionals working at pre-dominantly Christian majority campuses really know what it is like to be a religious minority. Religious Diversity Residence Hall Programming is highly needed in our profession!
 

THE FOLLOWING ARE REAL ACCOUNTS OF RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY PROGRAMMING IN THE RESIDENCE HALLS:

While being an assistant hall coordinator at UNI, I started to express my passion for religious diversity programming in the residence halls by displaying religiously diverse displays outside my office window and throughout my residence hall. These displays focused on all religious holidays and traditions from early November to late January. Some of these religious holidays and traditions included Hanukah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Diwali, Ramadan, Yule, Winter Solstice, and Bodhi Day.

This year at my new, first full time residence life position as the Assistant Director of Residence Life for Programs and March-Dake Hall Director I continued my passion for religious diversity by posting religiously diverse displays outside my office which students seemed to enjoy and find very interesting. I stepped this type of programming up a notch this year by facilitating along with my 12 resident assistants, hall council members, and The Tech Intellectual Discussion Group that I advise, a Holiday Diversity Tree Display where diverse ornaments from all of the great religions listed above were displayed. Many of these diverse ornaments were borrowed from student affairs professionals from around campus, the Internet, and some from my own personal collection. I purchased a Kwanzaa Kit complete with a Kinara and candles from this web site http://www.meekwanzaakit.com (Please see picture below of the Kwanzaa display). The following web site allows you to print off paper Christmas, Hanukah, and Kwanzaa origami ornaments:
 
 

Here are some digital pictures of the religious diversity display’s created by some SDSM&T student leaders and myself in the residence halls. I also helped with a Division of Student Affairs Holiday Diversity Tree and Religious Diversity Wall.

And finally, here is a list of some other ideas and programs you can implement in your residence hall, residence life office, and campus to foster an atmosphere of religious tolerance, safety and diversity:

1. Designate the months of November and December for Religious Diversity programming where you can implement all of the ideas listed above.

2. Declare the month of January as "World Religions Month" where you can have forum panels on many different religions. Simply ask students representing each religion to be on a panel and have student participants ask questions about each religion and religious custom. You can also create a table tent campaign in the dining center where different facts from different world religions can be displayed.

3. Monitor campus terminology during the holiday season by watching for language and programs that does not accommodate all religions and religious traditions (i.e. Secret Santa, Christmas Party, Hanukah Party, etc.) Try to either have one entire "Holiday Party" or have many separate parties honoring each different religious celebration and or custom (i.e. Hanukah Party, Christmas Party, Ramadan Party, Diwali Party, etc.) Try to celebrate religious holidays that do not happen to fall between November and December (i.e. Passover, Easter, Purim, Yom Kipper, etc.).

4. Monitor your college or universities administrative calendar as well. Make sure that the break between the Fall Semester and the Spring Semester accommodates everyone by calling it either "Holiday Break" or "Semester Break." Buy a multicultural calendar and try to incorporate it into your college or universities calendar.

5. Create a Purple Ribbon "Fight the Fear" in the residence halls or on campus that will help increase religious diversity and tolerance.

6. Buy religiously diverse ornaments and apparel (i.e. Kwanzaa Kinara Kit, Hanukah Menorah, Buddha statues, and Hindu Diwali clay oil laterns). Be sure to display these diverse items in the residence halls and residence life offices.
 

 

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The content on these pages was originally provided by Brian C. Steinberg, the founder of http://www.theallygroup.org and http://www.safezoneforall.com (Creater of the previous: http://www.residentassistant.com/reslifepro)

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