Community

Diversity Grant Enhances International Program

WEST LIBERTY - West Liberty University's international students benefited from a diversity grant received recently that is giving comfort to campus.

The comfort is in the form of a dedicated room for Prayer and Meditation, located in the Rollie Williams International Center, located in historic Shotwell Hall.

The funds came from a grant awarded from the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission and additional money provided by the Roland "Rollie" Williams Fund.

"It has been the vision of the International Center to improve our small prayer room that we've had in operation for international students for several years. We are so happy that these funds have allowed us to update and create a new and improved space in our center," said Mia Szabo, West Liberty's director of International Enrollment Services.

"The room began as a way to honor the customs and cultures represented on campus with an appropriate space to meditate and pray. We were able to brainstorm with the diversity committee and our students to come up with specifics. We've furnished this small room with a variety of cushions, pray mats, posters, books and other items to make it comfortable and attractive and we invite all members of the West Liberty campus community to visit and use it."

International Student Advisor Ryan Glanville coordinates much of international programs and recruiting.

"The room is used by a handful of students this semester … and we encourage any student or staff member who needs a comfortable spot to pause and meditate to visit. I think it's very important now with the additional stress brought on by the pandemic. All students need mindfulness support in this manner," said Glanville.

Umesh Nepali is an example of a student who makes good use of the new space.

"It is a place I visit often when I need to meditate. I appreciate its availability to students," Nepali said. A junior medical laboratory science student, Nepali is Hindu and plans on returning to his native Nepal after graduation.

The small room includes a window, allowing a bit of the outdoors and a tree to provide a background. Additional nature themes are provided by the wall that is curtained with a photographic image of a forest.

WLU has 49 international students enrolled this fall — 42 of which are living on campus.

Countries represented this year include: Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, England, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Mongolian People’s Republic, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, Spain, Thailand, Uzbekistan and Venezuela.

For more information on the Rollie Williams International Center, call Szabo at 304-336-8270 or Glanville at 304-336-8382.