Prayer rooms and foot-washing (wudu/ablution) stations for use by University of St. Thomas Muslim students are now open in Loras Hall, located on south campus. The newly renovated spaces are open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Dean of Students Karen Lange said, "At the University of St. Thomas, we value and respect students from all faith backgrounds. Having a space where Muslim students can pray is an affirmation of our commitment to welcome all students."
Mahmoud Alaish, a doctoral candidate in the Organization Development program at St. Thomas, said he received the news "with great appreciation for International Student Services and the St. Thomas management team." He noted, "These spaces will add to the comfort of the Muslim students while performing their prayers at the university. Providing those spaces shows how much St. Thomas cares for the Muslim society in general at the school and to the Saudi student population (the largest international population in the school)".
Room numbers for the separate men's and women's spaces are listed below.
Men:
Loras 302, Islamic prayer space
Loras 313, Wudu/ablution stations
Women:
Loras 412, Islamic prayer space
Loras 213, Wudu/ablution stations