Dartmouth offers a variety of options for those interested in continuing or exploring various facets of spirituality and religious life in college. Within the College and the surrounding towns, students can find a place to worship, meet others and become involved in the community.
The Tucker Foundation plans to introduce the Class of 2001 to the College's religious options with a Campus Ministry barbecue on September 19. Incoming students should have already received a religious preference form and will get a chance to talk with advisors at the Tucker barbecue.
Below are descriptions of a few of the major religious groups on campus.
Aquinas House Catholic Center
Located at the corner of Webster Avenue and Occom Ridge, the Aquinas House is where community members of Catholic faith gather.
Aquinas House will send out letters to all incoming Catholic freshmen and will hold a barbecue after 11 o'clock Mass on the first Sunday of Fall term, said AQ member, social chair and liturgical staffer Keith Jacobson '98.
"Upperclass members will each be assigned eight freshmen to talk to and answer their questions," Jacobson said.
The group offers opportunities for intimate discussions about personal religious experiences and opportunities to help out in the community.
Community outreach programs include Good Beginnings, a volunteer baby-sitting service for poor working families, excursions to the Hanover Terrace nursing home every Sunday to visit patients, and Chore Core, a program to help elderly and disabled people fix up their property and homes.
Aquinas House participates in these projects along with other religious and community service groups in the Upper Valley area.
Aquinas House also offers the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults program for students who have not yet been confirmed, or would like to know more about the Catholic religion. Meetings are held weekly and led by a priest and students discussing their faith.
The house includes a chapel, library, study room and kitchen as well as a game room, television room and computer room.
"The house is open 24 hours and there are always free peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, as well as ping pong and pool tables," Jacobson said.
Jewish Chaplaincy and Hillel
The new Roth Center for Jewish Life will open in September as the new home of the Hillel Jewish student organization on campus.
"There will be lots of events in the fall with the opening of the Roth Center," Hillel summer President Debbie Bender '99 said. Events include a dedication ceremony for the building and a celebration of the College's 25th anniversary of coeducation, Bender said.
Hillel sponsors a Jewish Undergraduate Advisor (JUGA) program. "It's designed to introduce Jewish students to Dartmouth," Bender said. An upper-class JUGA can serve as one more way to help freshmen ease into college life.
Shabbat services and home cooked dinners are held at 6 p.m. every Friday evening. Every other Saturday morning students can attend a Torah reading, discussion and pot luck lunch. Regular activities also include bagel brunches, trips and movies, as well as holiday celebrations throughout the year.
The new center is equipped with a library, kitchen, and meeting and entertainment lounges for members of Hillel.
Al-Nur Muslim Student Organization
Students of the Islamic faith can participate in weekly meetings held in the Tucker Foundation and Friday prayers at Rollins Chapel on campus.
Adel Mansour, the organization's advisor, said there are also social activities and discussions at Tucker with groups of other faiths.
In addition to weekly prayers, the Al-Nur organization convenes to celebrate the coming of the holiest month, the month of Ramadan.
"We gather many days of the month to break fast together after sundown," Mansour said.
Celebrations are also held for Eid-el-fiter at the end of the month of fasting and for Eid-el-adah.
Students wishing to study Arabic and the Qur'an can attend classes on Sundays in Dartmouth Hall.
