Engaging Spiritual, Religious and Philosophical Points of View at KSC and a Hindu Approach to Cultural Diversity

From Dottie Morris, Diversity and Multiculturalism:

Please mark these events on your calendars and syllabi:

Cultural Diversity: The Hindu Approach
Mountainview Room
Wednesday, September 5, 2012 at noon
Swami Bodhananda

Swami Bodhananda is a highly respected Hindu monk from India, a scholar, writer, and an accomplished teacher of Hindu philosophy and meditation. (Swami is the Hindu term for a monk).

Engaging Spiritual, Religious and Philosophical Points of View at KSC: A Dialogue
Wednesday, September 5
Young Student Center, Mabel Brown Room
6 p.m.

The recent campus climate survey revealed the difficulty faculty, staff and students experience on campus when discussing and expressing their spirituality, faith, religious beliefs and philosophical points of view. These belief systems are at the core of who we are in the world and how we engage with the world around us, yet some KSC community members feel they must suppress the expression of these beliefs by remaining silent and not revealing them.

What makes it difficult for us to allow space for these types of discussions to take place on campus? How might we, as a community, create safe opportunities for this dialogue to occur? How might misinformation, stereotypes and myths about different religious, spiritual and philosophical systems have an impact on our ability to have this dialogue on campus? How might we learn from each other in order to have a more diverse, welcoming “beloved community” at Keene State?

A panel of individuals representing a variety of spiritual, faith, religious and philosophical beliefs will engage in a dialogue about the complexities involved in creating this type of environment and explore strategies to help promote dialogue between community members from diverse backgrounds.

Facilitator: Rev. Sandra Whippie, Keene State College alumna

Panelists:

• Dr. Thomas Bassarear - Professor, Education
• Swami Bodhananda - Spiritual Founder and Director of Sambodh Foundation (New Delhi, India), Bodhananda Research Foundation for Management and Leadership Studies (Tivandrum, Kerala), and The Sambodh Society (Kalamazoo, MI)
• Dr. Karen Cangialosi - Professor, Biology Department
• Dr. Thomas Connelly - Director, Nursing
• Mr. Michael Dwyer - Mail Clerk
• Dr. Hank Knight - Director, Cohen Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies
• Rabbi Amy Loewenthal - Congregation Ahavas Achim
• Ms. Rashida Mohammed - Advocate, Domestic Violence Unit, Manchester (NH) Police Department
• Mr. Tom Porter (Sakokwenionkwas) - Spiritual Leader of the Mohawk people, Kanatsiohareke Community, Fonda, NY