Where can a young 'shmen go to explore spirituality and ponder abstract religious questions? Becoming a philosophy or a religion major is one option. The other is to explore all the religious opportunities Dartmouth College offers.
Double naughts should mark their calendars because on Friday, September 20, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Tucker Foundation, there will be a picnic sponsored by all the campus ministries to welcome the students and give them a chance to meet advisors and members of several religious groups on campus, said Elizabeth Young of the Tucker Foundation.
Because this is also the time of Jewish services, Hillel, the College's support organization for Jewish students, will hold their own picnic at Hillel House.
Below is a quick preview of a few of the larger religious groups on campus.
The Aquinas House Catholic Student Center
Aquinas House is the center for Catholic community members to both worship and socialize, and is always open to welcome new members of the Dartmouth community.
"Aquinas House is really excited for the 2000s to get up here. We're planning a barbecue to welcome them," Aquinas House Summer President Kevin Walsh '98 said. "I have met so many great people through Aquinas House and have had a great time."
As well, students are able to take a very active role in the goings-on at AQ.
All activities are decided by a pastoral council, which consists of a group of students from all classes who meet every other week to coordinate community service, social events, and the liturgy, Walsh said.
"Aquinas House is open 24 hours and can be used for anything, including studying, a quiet place to pray, or hanging out," Walsh said. "There is mass seven days a week."
AQ has a chapel, library and study room, game room, computer room, kitchen and TV room and is fully handicapped accessible.
The Dartmouth College Jewish Chaplaincy and Hillel
The Jewish community at Dartmouth and the surrounding area tries hard to welcome Jewish freshmen and incorporate them both to Jewish life here, as well as life in general.
Molli Hamermesh '98, summer president of Hillel, said, "Each '00 will be assigned a JUGA, a 'Jewish Undergraduate Advisor,' before he or she gets here."
These JUGAs serve very similar functions as normal UGAs, generally acting as older siblings who provide guidance and advice to first-year students.
The Jewish Faculty Association also hosts a lunch for incoming freshmen, Hammermesh said, and Hillel also hosts events for its newest members.
Hillel provides a social and religious outlet for Jewish students on campus, she said.
At its headquarters on Summer Street, the organization conducts Shabbat services and dinner every Friday night.
"Occasional student-led Havdallah services on Saturday nights is a relaxing way for Jewish students to end the Sabbath together -- before breaking out into the Dartmouth social scene," Hamermesh said.
One of the most exciting projects Hillel will be working on in the coming year is planning the dedication of the new Roth Center for Jewish Life, which is scheduled to open November 1997 on Occom Ridge, she said.
Hamermesh said the center will include a library, lounge, entertainment system, game room and a sanctuary planned to fit 250 people.
Besides being a place for Dartmouth students, the center will serve other Jewish people in the area in several ways, such as housing the Upper Valley Jewish Community's Hebrew school.
Hamermesh added, "The Class of 2000 will not only get to use this unique space, but it will have a major impact on its evolution and dedication."
Some of the other religious organizations at the College include the Muslim student organization, Al-Nur; Baha'i Club; Baptist Student Union; Christian Impact -- Campus Crusade for Christ; Christian Science Student Organization; Church of Christ at Dartmouth College; Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints; Dartmouth College Christian Chaplaincy; Fellowship of Christian Athletes; Navigators Christian Fellowship; New Life Campus Ministry; Orthodox Church in America; Eastern Orthodox and Orthodox Christian Fellowship; Our Savior Lutheran Church; Quakers Society of Friends; and the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Upper Valley.
