McAlister Center Archives - The Student Life

A building has a sign that says "McAlister Center for Religious Activities of the Claremont Colleges".

November 21, 2025 12:48 am

7C Chaplaincy under review, students speak out

By Kahani Malhotra 1916 Views Catholic, Chaplain, Claremont Colleges, feedback, forum, McAlister Center, McAlister Center for Religious Activities

Trays of Italian food and a roaring fireplace greeted the 30 students who provided their feedback on the Claremont Colleges Chaplaincy at the McAlister Center on Tuesday, Nov. 18.

The Chaplains and a map of McAlister, as printed in a 1985 letter to graduate students from the Honnold Mudd special collections. L to R: Rev. Catharine Grier Calrson, Rabbi Ben Beliak, Fr. M. Francis “Frank” Meskill

Arts & Culture Features Special Projects

April 11, 2025 12:47 amSeptember 16, 2025 7:27 pm

Pluralism, progress, problems: 50 years of interfaith chaplaincy

By Lydia Jung 2354 Views 5Cs, archival, Archive, ASA, Baha’i, buddhism, Buddhist, Budget cuts, Campus, campus chaplaincy, Campus Chaplains, Campus Life, Campus Ministry, campus programs, Campus Religious Communities, campus religious life, Care, Catholic chaplain, Catholic chaplaincy, Chabad, chaplain roles, chaplain services, chaplain turnover, chaplaincy evolution, Chaplaincy History, chaplaincy review, chaplaincy support, Chaplaincy Turnover, chaplaincy updates, Christianity, Claremont College History, Claremont Colleges, Claremont Hillel, Claremont History, Claremont McKenna College, Claremont religious history, college chaplaincy, Community Building, community service, COVID, COVID-19 and Campus Life, Diversity, diversity and inclusion, diversity in religion, Easter services, faculty-student relationships, faith and politics, faith leadership, faith traditions, Faith-Based Counseling, faith-based events, faith-based volunteerism, Harvey Mudd College, Haverim, Hillel, Hillel and Religious Life, Hindu, History, inclusive chaplaincy, Inclusivity, interfaith, Interfaith Chaplaincy, interfaith collaboration, Interfaith Dialogue, interfaith events, Interfaith Programming, interfaith services, Islam, Jewish, Jewish chaplain, Jewish Chaplaincy, Jewish student organizations, Jewish-Christian Relations, lett, lydia jung, mcalister, McAlister Center, McAlister Center for Religious Activities, mental health and religion, MSA, Multi-faith Community, multi-faith gatherings, multicultural community, multicultural spiritual services, multiculturalism, Muslim, Muslim Chaplaincy, Muslim Life Coordinator, Muslim Student Association, muslims, outreach, Palestine protests, Pitzer College, Political Activism, Political Activism and Religion, Pomona College, Post-Pandemic Challenges, Protestant chaplain, Protestant Chaplaincy, Protestant-Catholic Relations, Protestant-Catholic-Jewish collaboration, rabbi, Ramadan, Religion, religious, Religious Activities, religious community, religious counseling, religious diversity, Religious Diversity on Campus, religious education, Religious Holidays, Religious Inclusivity, religious life, religious life coordinator, religious outreach, Religious Pluralism, Religious Services, religious space, Religious Studies, reverend, Scripps College, Shabbat services, Sikh, Social Justice and Religion, spiritual, spiritual care, spiritual events, spiritual events calendar, spiritual leadership roles, spiritual life, spiritual programs, spiritual well-being, student, student engagement, Student Faith Groups, student identity, Student Identity and Faith., Student Organizations, student outreach, student religious groups, Student Support, student volunteering, student well-being, Students, Volunteer Opportunities

At the intersection of Scripps College, Pomona College and Claremont McKenna College stands the McAlister Center for Religious Activities (also called the McAlister Center for Spiritual Life), an institution many students pass every day. However, according to former Protestant Chaplain Naima Lett, 75% of the community she encountered during the 2021-2022 school year was unaware of the center’s chaplain services, which provide counseling for all students and faculty of the Claremont colleges regardless of religion. Even less known is the chaplaincy system’s fifty years of complex history, representing both the cutting edge of inclusive college campuses and archaic systems no longer relevant to student needs.

Front Page News

February 14, 2025 1:42 am

Future of Catholic chaplaincy position uncertain at the 7Cs

By Kahani Malhotra 3371 Views Chaplain, Father Joe Fenton, McAlister Center

Following Father Joe Fenton’s retirement, the McAlister Center for Religious Activities began its search for a new Chaplain partially by soliciting student feedback.

Arts & Culture Features

March 4, 2022 12:10 amMarch 4, 2022 12:12 am

Shaila Andrabi builds a home for South Asians in Claremont

By Vidusshi Hingad 5221 Views Chaplain, India, international community, International Students, McAlister Center, Pakistan, Pomona College, Pomona Faculty, Shaila Andrabi, Tahir Andrabi

Now a chaplain at the McAlister Center, Shaila Andrabi has provided a touch of home for South Asian international students for over 30 years.

News Scripps College

November 10, 2020 5:22 pmNovember 12, 2020 9:14 pm

Scripps College buys McAlister Center and surrounding property for $7 million

By Anushe Engineer 5025 Views Chaplains, City of Claremont, McAlister Center, Scripps College

Scripps College bought the McAlister Center for Religious Activities and its surrounding property for $7.1 million in February, transferring ownership from The Claremont Colleges Services to the college. Future use of the building and land is “yet to be determined,”Scripps Special Projects Manager Celeste Day-Drake relayed via Scripps spokesperson Rachael

A tent covered in pictures sits in a room.

Arts & Culture

February 28, 2020 12:09 am

‘In Thy Tent I Dwell’: 500 years of history under one glowing roof

By Ruby Wang 2236 Views Art Exhibit, Brazil, Crypto-Jews, Crypto-Judiasm, Jônatas Chimen, Jônatas Chimen Dias DaSilva-Benayon, Jewish Brazilians, McAlister Center, Sculpture

Brazilian-American Jewish artist Jônatas Chimen Dias DaSilva-Benayon visited the McAlister Center to showcase his interactive exhibit, “In Thy Tent I Dwell,” which details the discovery of his expansive family history.

A one-story tan house stands amid bushes and trees. A sign outside reads "OBSA House."

Affinity Arts & Culture

October 3, 2019 10:23 pmFebruary 23, 2022 5:54 pm

Commemorating OBSA’s and CLSA’s 50-year legacies

By Amirah Adem 4241 Views 50th Anniversary, Black Student Union, Bombing, CLSA, Legacy, McAlister Center, OBSA

Office of Black Student Affairs and Chicano Latino Student Affairs acknowledge their storied pasts as they celebrate their shared 50th anniversaries this fall.

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