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nor college students by college students
Celebrating Diversity
A bus tour to religious houses of worship brings
OU students more understanding.
Samuel Noveck
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elebrating diversity is a major
theme for student organizations
at Oakland University in Auburn
Hills. Recently, three faith-based organiza-
tions took part in an interfaith bus tour, vis-
iting various places of worship representing
Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
The Jewish Student Organization,
under the auspices of Hillel of Metro
Detroit, worked with the Muslim Student
Association and United We Coexist to cre-
ate a program that focused on recognizing
and understanding the basis of the different
monotheistic faiths.
"As individual student organizations, we
try to bring together those who share our
faith; but this year, we wanted to bridge
the gap between those who have the same
faith and those outside of our faith group,"
said Nusrat Zaman, president of United We
Coexist, and now an OU graduate.
Participants hopped on a bus to visit
Saint John Fisher Chapel in Rochester,
Temple Israel in West Bloomfield and the
Muslim Unity Center of Bloomfield Hills.
At the chapel, students learned more
about Ash Wednesday and Lent. At Temple
Israel, students were able to hear more
about the similarities the three mono-
theistic religions share as well as learn
about the Torah scroll from Rabbi Josh
Bennett.
After a delicious meal at the Muslim
Unity Center, the group observed Friday
prayers and asked the imam questions
about Islam.
OU students have a chance to learn about
the faith and culture of each religion through
student-led organizations that provide infor-
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mative and social programs. However, rarely
do students have the chance to join other
students to discover and discuss the different
faiths in the community.
"Continuing such expeditions is very
important to our healthy development as
a society; I only wish we had more time to
spend at each stop as it was a very infor-
mative and enjoyable experience I hope to
repeat," said Yousuf Sirajeldin, president of
the Muslim Student Association.
The students also learned a lot from each
other. However, one bus trip in a five-hour
time span only scratches the surface of
each faith in terms of culture, history and
practice.
This event is a testament to the impor-
tance of diversity at the university and in
the community. It was a great pleasure to
work together with each religious leader as
well as students to create a very enlighten-
ing program.
The three organizations earned awards
for "Outstanding Faith-based Program"
at the 36th Annual Center for Student
Activities and Leadership award ceremony.
The Jewish Student Organization
also was awarded for "Outstanding
Co-Sponsored Program" for the
Multicultural Dance Night in November
2013.
The JSO at OU continues to expand and
plans to continue its innovative and dynam-
ic programming in the coming year. @
Samuel Noveck of Auburn Hills is a junior
at Oakland University and is president of
the Jewish Student Organization.
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OU students from three faith-based organizations during a
stop on their tour
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