Prayer, Meditation Space Opens in Wegmans School of Nursing

A new space for students to pray, meditate, or simply enjoy quiet has opened in the Wegmans School of Nursing.

The need for the space arose when Oumou Wague, a student in the Mental Health Counseling program, mentioned to program chair Dr. Gail Begley that Muslim students were struggling to make it to the designated space across campus for their evening prayers. The time between classes was too tight and the prayer space just far enough away to make it difficult.

Begley brought the issue to the School’s leadership team, who began to look for spaces in the building for students. A largely unused lounge area proved to be the perfect space. A partition was built to create privacy, chairs and décor were added to create a peaceful, meditative environment. The space also has several prayer rugs for student use.

“We believe our jobs as educators, within the healthcare profession, is to educate the mind, body, and spirit of our students and we strive in all avenues to be student-centered” said Dr. Tricia Gatlin, dean of the School, during a small ceremony to open the Quiet Place. “Our goal was to meet the needs of these students, but also serve any student who wants a quiet place for prayer or meditation.”

The Quiet Place is open to all students and is located on the third floor of the Wegmans School of Nursing.