Rochester, New York ( USA ): A meditation course “Meditation | Empower Your Mind” is being conducted via Zoom for students at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in upstate New York, USA. The course began in January 2021 to help college students cope with mental stress amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to positive feedback from students, the university’s Wellness Department has continued to offer the course. It is one of several wellness courses available to students, who are required to complete two such courses before their graduation. The class meets for one 75-minute session each week during the 14-week semester and is now in its fifth semester at RIT.
The course was developed with the help of Judy Rogers, Eric Le Reste, Ash Patel, and Shivani Dayal. Guest speakers are invited to share with students, and the speakers who have participated are Sr Judy, Br Ash, and Sr Merrillyn Hener.
Upon completion of the course, Students are given gyani books and are encouraged to visit the retreat center, Peace Village, during school vacation (Peace Village is 4 hours from campus and is a cost-effective student getaway). The first semester drew 34 students and in each of the following semesters, student registrations dramatically increased. To date, 462 students have participated in the course.
Below are quotes from the student course evaluations:
‘The professor taught more than meditation, she taught life lessons centered on growing our self-awareness, self-worth, and self-love. Her lectures were thoughtful, engaging, and anecdotes from her personal life really helped the points get across.’
‘She created a fun and engaging class environment. Very supportive to students. Extremely well organized class.’
‘Presented meditation in a way that was enjoyable.’
‘She gave me a lot of knowledge about meditation and how to use it effectively.’