A request of providing a prayer/mediation space in Avenue campus.

In Avenue Campus, there is a big community of students who come to campus on a daily basis, particularly postgraduate research students who spend entire day doing their research and attend to the school academic activities. Those students have been, for years now,  raising concerns about not having a proper dedicated , quiet room in Avenue where they can practice their faith or mediate, especially that there are some students from faiths they are required to pray 5 times a day such as Muslim student in the faculty of Humanities. Unfortunately, there were hardly any positive response or support that students got in this regard. We understand that there is a prayer room and reflection space ( actually more than one) in Highfield, however, it is not possible for students to spend an approximate of 2 hours in total to travel between campuses just to pray or mediate.  The Faculty suggested a prayer space in the cottage nearby (not even a proper room) but it has the following issues :

1)           The space is clean but has lots of storage items next to it

2)           It is attached to an open-plan kitchen allowing people to be disturbed easily

3)           Students claimed there are bottles of wine in the space

4)           The only way into the kitchen and study room number “3” is through the prayer space

5)           People sometimes leave wine bottles, or other rubbish around in the prayer space

6)           A good number of Muslim students joined the Department of MLL this year and they may add more pressure on providing a prayer space.

7)           Travelling to Highfield campus to pray is definitely not a solution, PGR students spend the day working on their research and they will waste at least 2 hours a day if not more if they need to use the prayer room in Highfield, let alone during upcoming rainy winter days

8)           You have to get a key to access it

9)           There is no notice that states it is a prayer room

10)       Place is barely suitable for only one person to use which might present an issue if others want to use it at the same time

11)       Just next to the place there is a table where people would sit to eat and socializes which could present an issue if someone is using the space to pray or mediate

Under these circumstances, Students’ representatives reflecting the voices of Avenue students are requesting a prayer/mediation space to be provided within Avenue campus.

If successful, this petition will be taken to the Students’ Union’s next meeting of Union Senate which will take place on Friday 6 December.