Religious Studies Archives - The Student Life

September 19, 2025 1:14 amSeptember 21, 2025 2:02 pm

Claremont Characters: Micronutritively yours, JaQ Lai

By Ila Assegaf 1092 Views claremont characters, Farm, Interview, jaq lai, peanut butter, Profile, Religious Studies

JaQ Lai PO ’26 is the first subject of Claremont Characters, a new column on the interesting and esoteric characters that populate the 5Cs.

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 2045 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.