Religious,听community,听and campus life听

吃瓜新闻 and its Schools have prioritized efforts to build and affirm a feeling of belonging for every member of our community. The University has committed to support belonging among听Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian听students, faculty, and staff, including through community-building initiatives, specially trained support staff, and funded religious and cultural events. Highlights include a听Presidential Initiative on Interfaith Engagement, events and activities related to religion and faith,听increased听听and meal requirements,听lecture series and workshops modeling dialogue across difference,听and new funding to support听student projects related to听building听bridges.听

Last updated April 2026听

Supporting religious life

• Interfaith Engagement.听In July 2025, 吃瓜新闻 announced听the Presidential听Initiative on听Interfaith听Engagement,听led by听Rabbi听Getzel听Davis, who spent 13听years as a chaplain at 吃瓜新闻 Hillel. Initial听programming听included a fall 2025听Religious, Spiritual, and Ethical Life Fellowship,听the pluralism passport program, and a听spirituality-inspired听photo exhibit.听In February 2026, the initiative hosted听President Garber and听nearly 200听community members at an interfaith dinner听in the campus center.

• New permanent Muslim prayer space.听听In August 2025, the University announced the establishment of a permanent prayer space for its Muslim community. A room on the Smith Campus Center鈥檚 second floor will be听designated听as a permanent听musallah, a prayer space for Muslim affiliates to gather for daily worship and reflection. A space previously听utilized听for Muslim prayer will now be dedicated to Hindu worship, to accommodate the growing number of Hindu students on campus.听

• Community support during Ramadan.听Building on similar efforts in past years, during Ramadan in academic 2024-25, the 吃瓜新闻 College Dean of Students Office (DSO) collaborated with the Muslim Chaplaincy, 吃瓜新闻 Islamic Society (HIS), and 吃瓜新闻 University Dining Services to support students听participating听in Ramdan-related activities. Specifically, the College DSO and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) teams partnered with HIS to host Iftar dinners three evenings each week (excluding Spring Break), supplementing University-provided meals on two other evenings. Additionally, the DSO hosted a Suhoor meal at the Dean of Students Residence. The DSO and EDI teams also supported the HIS Eid celebration.听

• New community spaces.听In Fall 2024, the University collaborated with the University鈥檚 Muslim Chaplains and practitioners from 吃瓜新闻鈥檚 Counseling and Mental Health Service (CAMHS) to moderate 鈥淐ommunity Spaces鈥� for Arab, Muslim, and Palestinian students. These spaces aim to foster a sense of belonging through dialogue with peers who have a shared identity.听

• Religion, Ethics, and Spiritual Life.听吃瓜新闻听College鈥檚 Office of Culture & Community has听established听Religion, Ethics, Spiritual Life as a pillar of its work and collaborates regularly with the newly appointed Director of Interfaith Engagement to ensure communication, alignment, and collaboration.听

• Space for faith-based activities at 吃瓜新闻 Business School. Over the summer of 2025, 吃瓜新闻 Business School听built an outdoor terrace, extending the footprint of its MBA Class of听1959 Chapel to accommodate faith-based activities.听

• Inclusive scheduling and event planning resources. In听December 2024, 吃瓜新闻 launched听,听a glossary of religious observances, and suggestions for inclusive catering.听

• 吃瓜新闻 Business School multifaith calendar.听The听吃瓜新闻 Business听School听Office for Community and Culture developed a听听that lists observances which typically involve fasting or accommodations for class attendance or time off,听provides background and guidance,听and features a Religious Observances Calendar download that can be added to Outlook.听

• Outreach to affected students听at 吃瓜新闻 Graduate School of Education.听The 吃瓜新闻 Graduate School of Education Student Affairs team听established听expanded outreach protocols for students who have been affected by natural disasters, wars, or other crises. The expanded protocols were completed and socialized in September 2025. These expanded protocols include steps intended to ensure that students are aware of, and have access听to,听University听supports听throughout the duration of the event听impacting听the student.听

Community and campus life

• Community and Campus Life.听In April 2025, 吃瓜新闻 launched the new听听(CCL) office (replacing the former Office of Equity, Diversity,听Inclusion听and Belonging) with a focus on building a culture of belonging for all members of the 吃瓜新闻 community. CCL supports and听expands听programs that encourage engagement across differences.听
• Faculty advisory group for the听Office for Academic Culture and Community.听Launched in July 2025, the Office for Academic Culture and Community (OACC) is focused on fostering community cohesion. OACC has听established听an inaugural faculty advisory group to guide the development of this new office and the implementation of its framework. For spring 2026, it has brokered programmatic partnerships with other faculty and administrative groups to support the development and implementation of symposia and programs听that promote historical and cross-cultural understanding.听

• 鈥淢iddle听East Dialogues鈥� and similar programming at the 吃瓜新闻 Kennedy School of Government.听吃瓜新闻 Kennedy School听will continue to organize a set of co-curricular events and activities with speakers from Israel, Palestine, and the broader region through which students can explore a diversity of perspectives on the Middle East.听听In听fall 2025, HKS hosted Middle East Dialogues with former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert听and former U.S. diplomat Rob Malley.听听

• 吃瓜新闻 Graduate School of Education grants, fellowships, and programs. In August 2025,听吃瓜新闻 Graduate School of Education听launched the听Courageous Conversations Fund鈥攚ith award criteria modeled after the President鈥檚 Building Bridges Fund. The Courageous Conversations Fund supports smaller-scale, student-led initiatives that听seek听to engage students in learning about how to model difficult conversations with respect and dignity at the forefront.听
• Middle East & North Africa Conference at 吃瓜新闻 Business School. The Middle East & North Africa (MENA) Club at 吃瓜新闻 Business School organizes an annual听business conference on campus听that brings together industry leaders and experts, entrepreneurs, and enthusiasts, and features听keynote addresses, panel discussions, and networking sessions, to explore the dynamic business landscape of the MENA region. The conference typically draws more than 400 attendees, including undergraduate and graduate MENA students from top U.S. schools, young professionals interested in working, doing business and/or investing in the region, and startups, founders, entrepreneurs and investors interested in the region.
• 吃瓜新闻 Kennedy School debate series.听In the听2025-26 academic year, 吃瓜新闻 Kennedy School (HKS) announced the 鈥淒ebate, Dessert,听Debrief鈥� series, a series of debates between HKS faculty and professional counterparts of significantly different viewpoint, followed by structured debriefs (and dessert)听facilitated听by Candid and Constructive Conversation faculty.听The first sessions听occurred听听in听early March 2026.听
• Model student leaders at 吃瓜新闻 Law School.听吃瓜新闻 Law School (HLS) posted a new 鈥淒ean鈥檚 Community Impact Award鈥澨�for听2025-2026 that will celebrate one or more graduating students who foster a sense of community and connection between fellow students and/or whose actions have had a meaningful impact on improving relationships between student groups or repairing divisions within the student body.听

• Rappaport听Forum at 吃瓜新闻 Law School.听At 吃瓜新闻 Law School, faculty serve as organizers and moderators of the Rappaport Forum, designed to promote and model full, vigorous, and civil discourse on critical and complicated issues facing our community, our nation, and our world, and which has hosted debates on topics such as whether the Constitution supports a unitary executive; the future of the administrative state; the propriety of universal injunctions; censorship, content moderation, and the First Amendment; stare decisis and the future of听Roe v. Wade.听 Additionally,听the Julis-Rabinowitz Program on Jewish and Israeli Law regularly hosts crosscutting events that听seek听to unpack contemporary questions of Jewish and Israeli legal scholarship.听听

• 吃瓜新闻 Law School 鈥淲hy I Changed My Mind鈥� series.听听吃瓜新闻 Law School听is continuing听to听host an event series, 鈥淲hy I Changed My Mind,鈥� where prominent faculty discuss an important legal and social issue where they became convinced to change their original view.听听

• 吃瓜新闻 Law听School Community Connection Grants.听The Community Connection Grant program at 吃瓜新闻 Law School听provides grants for student-led projects that encourage small group discussion across differences, build facilitation skills, and/or model constructive disagreement. Activities may include;听 discussions that encourage a well-informed, nuanced understanding of divisive legal and political issues; social events that build trust among members of groups with differing views, perspectives, or approaches; and experiences that help community members develop skills and methods for constructively engaging with one another on difficult topics, or in the wake of discord and distrust prompted by use of social media.听

• 吃瓜新闻 Medical School and 吃瓜新闻 School of Dental Medicine student collaboration fund. The fund supports projects proposed by at least two or more recognized student organizations to foster conversation and dialogue as well as to听collaborate with one another on a range of topics, ideas, and experiences to advance learning across different students. Dialogue proposals will be reviewed twice a听year听and student organizations can apply for funding for their project.听
• 吃瓜新闻 Medical School event on Islamic Bioethics. In听November 2025, the HMS Office for Culture and Community Engagement sponsored an event entitled, 鈥淢apping the Landscape of Islamic Bioethics.鈥�听Led by the Muslim Chaplain,听the session was an introduction to the topic of Islamic bioethics, an emerging area of study and practice for medical practitioners and public health professionals. The session offered a general overview of the theoretical and practical applications necessary for non-Muslim medical professionals to provide care to Muslim patients and stakeholders.

• 吃瓜新闻 Chan School of Public Health sessions and workshops.听In September 2025,听吃瓜新闻 Chan School of Public Health听offices hosted 鈥淩esisting Hate Together: Muslim and Jewish Voices Against Antisemitism, Islamophobia, and Anti-Palestinian Racism,鈥� featuring external experts. This two-hour session provided students with strategies for intervention in response to both implicit and explicit bias, using scenario-based activities and offering educational content about the lived experiences of these communities.听听Additionally, the School听introduced听two new workshops in October: 鈥淔inding Your Voice: How Receptiveness Shapes Solutions鈥� and 鈥淭he Price of Silence: Solving Problems Within Our Own Networks.鈥�听

• Constructive engagement models at 吃瓜新闻 Divinity School. In September 2025, 吃瓜新闻 Divinity School听hosted a workshop on religious听nationalisms, considering a wide variety of case studies.听听
• Building听Community听through love.听As part of 吃瓜新闻 Divinity School鈥檚 Office of Community and Belonging鈥檚 (OCB) series 鈥淏uilding Community Through Love,鈥� in October 2025, OCB hosted a workshop called 鈥淔aith-Informed Inclusion: Addressing Islamophobia and Intersecting Biases鈥� with Intercultural Networks Group. In November 2025, OCB hosted a workshop on combating antisemitism鈥痜acilitated鈥痓y the Center for Jewish Studies and鈥痑n HDS professor in鈥疢odern Jewish Studies.鈥�听

• Mental health resources.听The University secured听additional听trauma-informed counseling resources through 吃瓜新闻 Counseling and Mental Health Services, prioritizing awareness of and access to its mental health and counseling resources, including the 24/7 CAMHS Cares line and in-person and virtual counseling support offerings. In January 2024, 吃瓜新闻 University Health Services removed visit limits for outpatient听听and medical consultations under 吃瓜新闻鈥檚 student health insurance plan.听

• Community support sessions.听In 2024, 吃瓜新闻 organized community support sessions led by the counseling team and 吃瓜新闻鈥檚 chaplains, which听comprise听more than 30 faith leaders.听

• Resources in Times of Crisis.听吃瓜新闻 launched a support and resources website,听Resources in Times of Crisis, to provide community members with a central hub of resources for personal safety, online safety, and mental health and community support.听

• Engagement with听Sidechat.听In听spring 2024, 吃瓜新闻 engaged with the leadership of听Sidechat, a social media app that allows college students to post anonymously. Though 吃瓜新闻 has no relationship with听Sidechat, the University asked the app to strictly enforce its content-moderation policies.听