In 2016, several students approached the ETSU Student Activities and Organizations office because they identified a need for a specific space for prayer and meditation on campus.

“It came about because some students came to us and said, ‘We know about students who are devout and want to be able to pray at the times of day when they are required by their faith to do so,'” said ETSU Associate Dean of Students Leah Adinolfi.

Some of the students reported they had to return to their car to pray or meditate since they could not find a suitable spot on campus.

“So we started talking about it and looking into it and found that there were a lot of faiths that would like to use a space like that – students who could really benefit from a quiet space on campus,” said Adinolfi.

The Contemplation room provides mats for meditation and prayer. (Photograph by Kate Trabalka/East Tennessean)

The SAO office began meeting with students from the ETSU Student Government Association and the Multicultural Association of Pre-health Students, as well as students from the Emerging Leaders Academy. Several staff members in the D.P. Culp Student Center were also involved in the discussion, as well as some faculty members.

“There were probably about 10 or 12 students that were involved,” Adinolfi said.

The group began examining models on other university campuses and airport spaces to get a clear idea for the layout of the room.

The room, which was briefly located in Nell Dossett Hall due to the closure of the Culp, is now renovated and open for use in room 218 of the Culp Center. The room is purposefully a little out of the way and located in an L-shaped direction at the end of a hallway outside the elevators on the second floor.

After numerous discussions, guidelines were created for the space, which detail what the space is meant to be used for and what students should not use the space for.

“The guidelines really put it all out there,” said Adinolfi. “It tells you exactly what the objectives are that we’re trying to achieve.”

The space does not include posters, quotes or symbols from any particular religion. Rather, a copy of the guidelines is the only poster on the wall, which helps make the space feel open and welcoming for all.

There are mats and partitions available for use in the space, and students can remove their shoes if they wish and place them in a cubby hole.

“This was something that came from the students, and students were very much involved in the initial design of the space,” said Adinolfi. “And I think that’s pretty special.”