SPORTS
Powderpuff
10.7.2010
THE
Page 10
RAMAPO NEWS
Performance
A Publication by the Students for the Ramapo College Community
photo by Elyse Toribio
Spiritual Center Open for Students to Find Inner Peace President Mercer looks on as Ramapo Lenape Nation Chief Dwain Perry performs traditional blessing ritual.
By ELYSE TORIBIO Staff Writer
President Peter Mercer and various administrators at Ramapo College welcomed Larry and Theresa Salameno, among several other benefactors, on Tuesday afternoon for the Salameno Spiritual Center dedication ceremony. Initially proposed by distinguished professor Anthony Padovano in 2001, the construction of the spiritual center broke ground in the summer of 2008 and was completed in the spring of this year. Cathleen Davey, executive director of the Ramapo Foundation and vice president of Institutional Advancement, welcomed guests to the ceremony and shared the goals of the trustees and capital improvement committee for the spiritual center once it received board approval. “It was trustees like Peter McBride and Emily Mann who said, ‘We are going to do this right,’” Davey said during her welcoming remarks. “This building must be one of the most prominent on our campus, to reflect both the symbolic and personal nature of how we
meditate, worship and reflect.” Davey believed the center should be built in an area with high student traffic. “It need to be located where our students traveled often, and yet where one could find peace and tranquility,” Davey said of the spiritual center, located on a half acre at the edge of Kameron Pond. Speakers at the dedication ceremony expressed their sincere gratitude for the generous donations made by the Salamenos, as well as Anthony and Theresa Padovano, Pamela and Peter McBride, Anthony and Gail Marino and Sam and Emily Mann. Renowned theologian and religious historian Dr. Martin Marty was present to give the inaugural lecture. “We believe that this is to be the first building on a public college campus that construction costs were fully funded by private giving,” Davey said. Mercer explained in his opening message how liberal arts schools today continue to struggle to find a place for spirituality in such a secular system. “[Students] explore the essentials of arts and sciences, the ethics of technology, environ-
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mental and social issues,” Mercer said. “The notion that by reframing these issues around the subject of spirituality we can evoke new and thoughtful inquiry is welcomed here. The intensity of spiritual interest of our college, particularly in our students, is undeniable.” Provost Beth Barnett introduced Dr. Martin Marty following Mercer’s remarks. Marty, a well-respected theologian and author in the academic community, also emphasized the need for such a center to be a part of a college campus. “Take seriously and authentically the searches for everybody,” Marty said when asked for his opinion about students challenging their spirituality when they come to college. “It is real agony for a [student] when they want their world to come together and it isn’t coming together.” Marty encourages students to experience spirituality in addition to intellect. “The spiritual center provides a roof over our heads and space under the sun to have experiences, not read about them,” Marty said. see SALAMENO on page 6
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XLI No. 4
Ramapo Reacts to Rutgers Incident
By SAMANTHA ULLRICH Staff Writer Homophobic targeting has been linked to five teenage suicides over the past 20 days in the United States. Most recently, Tyler Clementi, a Rutgers University freshman from Ridgewood, committed suicide after his roommate secretly taped and broadcasted his intimacy with another man online. Clementi’s death stunned many throughout the country and has alarmed nearby campus communities, such as Ramapo. “When I first heard about this, it hit really close to home,” Queer Peer Service Coordinator, Shane Hoff said. “The Women’s Center has a banner everyone is signing and we are going to deliver it to the Lesbian Gay Bi Transexual Center at Rutgers just giving our condolences.” Ramapo students have voiced their opinions on the recent incident and are hopeful that similar conduct will not occur here. “I thought it was disgusting of them; it was no one’s business but his own what he does in his free time,” sophomore Kelly Moeller said. Cyber bullying is surfacing now more than ever. The World Wide Web makes it very easy to write feelings, post statuses and “bully” without face-to-face interactions. “It’s almost like they’re afraid to bully someone to their face now, so they do it online,” Moeller said. A glow light vigil was held for Clementi in NYC’s Washington Square Park last week, which attracted hundreds of people who strive to put an end to homophobic bullying. Hoff was in attendance that evening, and anticipates a remembrance ceremony to be held at Ramapo in the near future.
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