Faith calendar

By Seth Wall STAFF WRITER

communities together with the interfaith calendar was rewarding, “realizing that all of religion was being represented.”

Put

your Greyhound spirit into action!

UIndy Day is a day to unite and show the world your Greyhound pride! On APRIL 18, join students, alumni, parents, faculty and staff for our eighth annual #UIndyDay as we celebrate and support all the things we love about UIndy.

When you promote #UIndyDay, you help inspire gifts that will fund scholarships, student-success programs, and the resources you need to succeed!

Follow Along

@uindy uindy.edu/uindyday to do more of this as we progress, right? [We] want to stay current and on top of things.”

One of the goals of making the dining hall a more open, communityoriented space is to help students create relationships on campus, according to Smith. She said that building relationships over good food, in a good space, is important to her.

“We’re hoping that openness, like some of the elimination of some of the doors and walls will create more connectedness and more social opportunities,” Smith said. “It’s really important that we build relationships on this campus.”

Probst said that it means a lot to him and the UIndy community that the dining staff is willing to make these upgrades and that it shows the staff cares about the students.

“To me it shows that they actually kind of care,” Probst said “Because, logistically, they don’t have to.”

The dining hall is scheduled to close during this summer after graduation to undergo construction, according to the March 9 email. The email said the dining hall will operate in the basement of Schwitzer for students who have meal plans for spring and summer terms. Specific information regarding UIndy Dining’s operations during the summer will be released later, according to Student Affairs.

Wear crimson and grey all day!

Share what you LOVE about UIndy on social media using #UIndyDay

Make a gift of any amount to support UIndy students (Venmo accepted when you visit uindy.edu/uindyday on April 18)

Celebrate #UIndyDay together at the UIndy Day Headquarters located in Schwitzer Student Center first-floor engagement space!

The Office of Ecumenical and Interfaith Programs launched an all-inclusive calendar of religious observations in February. The Interfaith Calendar serves as a comprehensive resource providing dates of religious and spiritual significance to many different faith traditions.

University of Indianapolis Chaplain and Director of the Lantz Center Rev. Arionne Lynch said the intention is to update the calendar by July of each year in reflection of the academic year and overlapping dates of religious observation.

“We see it as a living document that’s owned by the community,” Lynch said.

Lynch said the idea behind the calendar was initiated by the Interfaith Scholars. This program brings together a select group of students representing each graduating class and of various religions, according to the Interfaith Programs website. The program looks to promote mutual efforts and dialogue between disparate ideologies.

“But this gave more information about Ramadan and some accommodations students might need,” Lynch said. “We also had notices this year that went out, for example, about Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, about Diwali, about Hanukkah, about Ash Wednesday and Lent.”

Members of the program discussed what it was like to piece together the new calendar. Senior psychology and communication major Bhumibol Shakya is currently an Interfaith Scholar. Shakya said the process of linking so many

President from Page 1 to adjust programs to fit those requirements.

Alongside her background in physics and business, which she said helps her understand how the sciences and business can fit together, Singh said she has a comprehensive and global view that will benefit UIndy. On top of that, she said she has plenty of experience in fundraising.

“Fundraising, in my mind, is not just asking people for money, but really having people invest in your vision,” Singh said. “So the way I look at it, fundraising is really developing friendships and deep alliances with individuals, with industries, with organizations, because if they see that what we are doing is impactful for the lives of students and that it helps the university really contribute to the city, they support you. So I have done a significant amount of fundraising as a dean. And then I built a lot of alliances with other organizations in my role as a provost.”

Interim President Phil Terry said the candidate pool was narrowed down from over 100 candidates. While all of them looked very qualified on paper, he said he is confident Singh was the best choice. She is perfect for the role, Terry said, and her being the university’s first president that is a woman of color is only a plus, showing how open, welcoming and diverse the campus community is.

And while Singh has not served as a university president before, Terry said he personally does not mind if the person hired has not held a presidential position before. What matters to him is the innate characteristics of a person, such as intelligence, integrity and ambition. And based on her experience, Terry believes she is ready and prepared to take on this role.

“It was tough, but I think Dr. Singh was the best of the group,” Terry said. “And she brings so much to the university in terms of her experience, her intelligence, her ambition, her integrity, her vision. I just can't imagine there is a better person out there for this position than Dr. Singh.”

During his time as the interim president, Terry has helped reorganize the university’s administration and has begun conversations about doing the same to academics. He said education is changing, and while UIndy has great assets and potential, that must constantly be reexamined in order to remain

Sophia Murray, another Interfaith Scholar and senior studying biology, talked about her experience in building the calendar and how it brought together members of the Greyhound and broader community.

“I had an opportunity to meet people I otherwise probably wouldn’t meet,” Murray said.

Lynch, who assumed her role in January began her time with UIndy as Associate Chaplain in 2016, said she has heard feedback from students of the calendar’s importance. Lynch also said various faculty and administration were “championing this project.”

There are other resources available to campus members for religious exercise, such as McCleary Chapel, which serves as a bastion for peaceful reflection and is available to all faiths, according to its website. The Chapel and Meditation Room are both located on the second floor of the Schwitzer Student Center. Both provide a safe space for fellowship and devotional activities.

While UIndy is affiliated with the United Methodist Church, the policy of the Office of Ecunemical and Interfaith Programs is dedicated to providing hospitality by which common facilities and good will are protected on campus, according to its website.

“Oftentimes, we don’t get the chance to have deep meaningful conversations with people we’ve never met before,” Murray said. “Interfaith breaks those superficial barriers, making it easier to create meaningful connections with people.” relevant. And with that, despite the challenges Singh may face coming into this position, Terry feels the university had laid the foundations necessary for her to make the changes needed.

“The university has a great foundation, financially, reputationally, in terms of relationships,” Terry said. “So it is poised for whatever challenges the future provides. But it's gonna be up to Dr. Singh to figure out the solution. The long-term solution is for our next long-term leader.”

As she comes into the position, Singh said one of her main priorities is enrollment. Terry has acknowledged that enrollment at UIndy has been low following the COVID-19 pandemic and Singh said many universities are struggling with this particular aspect of higher education. Singh plans to address this by looking into old and new markets and building enrollment at the undergraduate and graduate levels, as well as nationally and internationally.

“If we bring more students to Indianapolis, in this great city, we want them to come and contribute to the growth of the city,” Singh said. “We have a great university with great programs, but enrollment is going to be one of the things I'll focus on greatly. The other one is, I believe that our university is a very strong university. We need to tell our story a lot more. We need to tell people about how good we are. And I believe that we have the talent and the ability to tell our story and, and really market ourselves much better.”

Singh said she is most looking forward to working with the community at UIndy and in Indianapolis. One of her larger goals is to ensure the university is fully engaged with the city. As the University of Indianapolis, Singh said she believes the community should be fully participating in the city, whether that is through economic growth or working with industries.

“I'm hoping for growth for the university, I see a very bright future ahead,” Singh said. “And it's a lot of work; there are a lot of challenges here. But I also see opportunities that exist for the university. And that's going to be my goal: to focus on growth, to have this vision of making sure that our students get good jobs, but also we develop them as good citizens that ask the bigger questions, that actually change the world. And that is the goal for the university.”