With increased demand and interest in mediation, Penn State announced that a new room on campus will be open for students to visit throughout the day for some deserved rest and relaxation in between classes and activities.
On Jan. 26, 2023, Penn State announced that Boucke 325H will be the latest spot for mediation for students. The university decided to place this room in Boucke in order to provide a more accessible location for students to visit during their busy days on campus.
Boucke 325H is not the only place on campus where students can quietly meditate. Other locations include the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center, Eisenhower Chapel, and Katz Law Building. Several residence halls also have rooms available for students.
In the announcement, Bob Smith, director of the Center for Spiritual and Ethical Development, spoke about why Boucke was chosen to house the latest mediation room. “Students are so busy during the time that they’re on campus. The HUB-Robeson Center, of course, is a big place for people to get together, whether it’s for studying or eating. Being in close proximity to the HUB, this new meditation room provides an easy way for students to engage in prayer and meditation,” said Smith.
Inside Boucke 325H, students have access to comfortable pillows and furnishings to help create a calm and safe atmosphere. Along with that, students also have access to readings consulted by various religions that are practiced. The room is available for use between 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Senior director of the HUB-Robeson Center, Mary Edgington also shared her thoughts in the release. “Collaboration in finding unique spaces like these to better serve our students is essential as we continue to foster our mission of student success at Penn State. Our colleagues in OPP, along with Student Affairs staff, are pleased to be able to offer this well-being space for our students, and we will continue to partner on further opportunities such as these,” said Edgington.
Since the new room is centered at “the heart” of campus, it is a resource Penn State students can very much benefit from. Smith says, “One of the big things that I think students need more than ever at this point is a release — something that is relaxing, something that helps them, something that is mindful. I believe that meditation can help your physical health, because it helps your mental health.”
With so many responsibilities and stress placed upon students, mediation might be an outlet to turn to. But, what exactly are the benefits of meditation — especially in young adults?
Mediation allows us to gain better control over our emotions. It teaches us to be in the present moment by paying attention to things such as our flow of breathing, patterns we have in our movements and the five senses that are constantly in motion and interacting around us. It can be very easy to fall down a rabbit hole of overthinking and worry over things that pop up in our lives, but mediation can allow us to take a step forward and instead focus on what is happening right before our eyes.
In a 2019 study, it was found that consistent brief meditations had many benefits. When analyzing the study, Medical News Today wrote, “Non-experienced meditators found that 8 weeks of brief, 13-minute-long daily meditation sessions helped ease negative mood state. It also boosted attention and memory. These results suggest that meditation can be beneficial even when it is of short duration.”
The next time you have a couple of minutes free, walk on over to Boucke 325H and experiment with mediation. If mediation isn’t for you, simply stop by for some peace and quiet.
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