When Philip Paulson filled out his Northwestern housing application in June, he decided to take the road not traveled.
Instead of applying to live in one of NU’s more well-known dorms, the Weinberg freshman chose the new Interfaith Living and Learning Community in Foster-Walker Complex.
After writing short essay responses to an application, 15 students of diverse backgrounds and religious beliefs were assigned to live on the first floor of House 6 in a housing community designed to encourage interaction and learning among people of different theological backgrounds.
The community’s residents are pioneers – both at NU and nationally – in an experiment resulting from a brainstorm in the Office of the University Chaplains and a student e-mail campaign last year.
University Chaplain Tim Stevens said NU got the idea for the community from Syracuse University, but he added, “What we do will be different.” The ultimate goal for the community is for it to become its own residential college.
Residents will take field trips to Chicago’s religious communities – such as the Hindu temple in Aurora – and listen to firesides given by faculty and guest presenters from the Chicago area.
Although there is a basic program outlined for events, Stevens said he wants students to contribute to shaping the program’s direction.
“We’re hoping students will have good ideas and really take charge,” Stevens said.
Some of the students already have opinions about what they’d like to learn from this unique community, which held its first hall meeting Sunday night.
“I want to look at the subtleties of religions and their different interpretations of the Bible,” Paulson said. “One of the main principles of Unitarian Universalism is to go find out about different religions and spiritualities.”
Paulson, who is one of only a few Unitarian Universalists on campus, is excited about living in the hall but said he worries some students may not be.
Although the community’s creation was a subject of great student interest last year, its residents are a mix of students with a strong interest in the program and others who are less enthusiastic.
“I think for some people it was their fourth or fifth choice and they just ended up here,” he said. “They might not be particularly religious.”
Weinberg junior Jason Mochizuki found the allure of Foster-Walker’s air-conditioned rooms too much to resist when he transferred to NU.
“I wasn’t really aware it was interfaith housing until I got here,” he said.
Other residents in the community are not particularly devout but hope to learn about religion through the hall’s learning program. Weinberg freshman Christopher Chang said the Christian affiliation of his high school in Seoul, South Korea, prevented him from learning about diverse religions.
“I never really had a chance to get in contact with other faiths,” Chang said. “All I did in high school really was just learn the basics.”
Reach Christina Alexander at [email protected]
