As part of campus efforts to create a more student-centric university, and, in particular, to provide spaces to allow healing as we emerge from a uniquely traumatic moment, the UWM Libraries have created a Contemplative Space, located in Room E275 on the second floor, east wing of the Golda Meir Library.
Equipped with yoga mats, cushions, prayer rugs, ball chairs, and soft lighting, the space is available on a first-come basis, and is open during library building hours.
“The mindfulness room in the library, along with other dedicated mindfulness spaces around campus,” says Associate Professor Aragorn Quinn, who led the campus meditation room project, “is meant to allow us to ground our minds and bodies, allowing us to both heal and grow emotionally and intellectually.”
Dean of Students Adam Jussel adds that these new spaces are “an important community hub, providing a dedicated location for meditation, connection with others, and respite.”
They are meant for students “to take a breather from the busyness of campus life in a comfortable, safe space,” he says. “Having one of these rooms in the Golda Meir Library, where people walk to, from, and through on a daily basis, is a key asset to coming together and navigating this next year as a community.”
Information about mindfulness practice may be found here.
Additional physical spaces promoting mindfullness and well-being can be found on this map.
–Steve Burnham