Students' Union calls for spiritual rooms

Spiritual rooms should be established at every college in Ireland to give students a chance to practice their own religious faith, it was urged today.

The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) said resources should be set aside to support the development of non-denominational prayer rooms.

Tony McDonnell, the union’s president, said: “The absence of spiritual rooms discriminates unfairly against those students whose faiths require them to pray at certain times of the day, and deprives students of all faiths and none of a designated space for quiet contemplation.

“Colleges have a responsibility to respect the spiritual rights of their students, not deny them.”

On the UN designated International Day Against Racism, delegates at the USI Congress are also considering the re-introduction of anti-racism campaigns at every college to promote cultural awareness.

Mr McDonnell said the USI believes religion is a matter of conscience and a human right.

“So long as spiritual rooms are open to everyone and include no religious symbols that would favour one religion over another, they provide a precious place in which students of every faith and none can recharge their batteries,” he said.

“Spiritual rooms send a powerful message of tolerance and inclusion to students of all backgrounds, and support the anti-racist agenda.”

At the USI annual congress in Co Clare, the delegates elected Colm Hamrogue as the union’s president for the forthcoming year.

Mr Hamrogue, who is currently president of IT Sligo Students Union, will take up his new position from July 1, next.

The 24-year-old said: “I look forward to the challenges for the coming year and promise to campaign on the issues that truly affect Irish students both North and South.

“The prospect of a general election gives USI an opportunity to push the student agenda throughout the year.”

He added: “We aim to mobilise students across the country to make TDs fully aware that the student population will no longer be ignored.”