March 5, 2024 - Love & Wellness

The University of Maryland’s Independent Student Newspaper

THE DIAMONDBACK

Spring 2024 wellness

FULLY UPDATED AND EDITED BY: Nur Yavuz

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Interfaith meditation, gardening unites students at Soil & Soul

University of Maryland community members gathered at the Memorial Chapel on Feb. 22 for Soil & Soul — an interfaith gardening and meditation event hosted by the chapel’s Interfaith UMD and SKY at UMD.

A sprinkle of rain didn’t hinder the two-hour event from bringing together students, faculty and staff for a calming afternoon in the chapel’s Garden of Reflection and Remembrance. The event was split into stations, each with the purpose of bridging togetherness and mindfulness among the university community.

“We want to give folks an opportunity to connect with nature in sort of a spiritual way, and also to have an opportunity to experience meditation outdoors and have a little bit of lunch too,” said Denise McHugh, the chapel’s manager.

Soil & Soul is part of the chapel’s larger initiative to focus on interfaith activities and events, McHugh said. Chaplains collaborate with student groups each season, on top of those interfaith events that are hosted solely by the chapel.

“[Soil & Soul is] one of the first events that the chapel is doing this semester relating to interfaith, so we’re excited about that as well to get the season kicked off,” McHugh said.

By Adam Hudacek I Diversions writer

The meditation segment of the event was sponsored by SKY at UMD — a club focused on improving the wellbeing of university students, staff and faculty through practical meditation techniques. Nealofar Madani, a public health graduate student, represented the club at the chapel.

The meditation sessions were intended to take place in the Garden of Reflection and Remembrance, but unexpected rainfall caused a change of plans. Meditations were first hosted inside the chapel, with later sessions held outside.

Madani said being outdoors is crucial for her meditation, especially at an event like Soil & Soul, where nature-based activities are so deeply intertwined with the meditative aspects of the afternoon.

“It’s a way to connect with the Earth and other people and yourself, which I think is really important in today’s world,” Madami said. “We’re all so busy, we’re all pulled in so many different directions … having the meditation aspect with gardening is a great way to become more grounded.”

Attendees also had the opportunity to learn how to plant their own flowers and herbs, picking from a selection that included lavender, basil, thyme and dill. Logan Martin,

a junior agricultural science and technology major who manages the chapel’s gardens for the campus arboretum, oversaw the planting station. Martin hoped the event would counteract the chilly February air.

The event provided seeds, soil and potting material for guests to grow their gardening skills and their home gardens. Martin said that having something material to take home with allows attendees to have a reminder of their meditation experience long after their session has concluded.

The meditation focused on controlled breathing, beginning with introductory patterns and building up to more advanced techniques. The guided session focused on increasing attendees’ awareness of the surroundings and bodies, and bringing their mind into a calm, present moment.

For Madani, the interfaith aspect of the event is one of the Soil & Soul’s most important draws.

“Meditation, I think, is a tool to bring together faiths and religions from all around the world because it brings you to a space where you are in touch with your humanity,” said Madani. “In that space, there’s only one.”

Logan Martin, the Memorial Chapel’s arboretum manager, teaches attendees at the Soil & Soul event on Feb. 22, 2024. (Adam Hudacek/The Diamondback)

Meet Me Behind McKeldin Mall creates space for UMD music lovers

When Taylor Swift wrote “meet me behind the mall” in her song “august,” it’s unclear if she meant McKeldin, but the Meet Me Behind McKeldin Mall club is giving a new life to her lyrics.

Meet Me Behind McKeldin Mall, or 4MB for short, is a biweekly social club at the University of Maryland dedicated to discussions about indie and pop music. The club offers students the opportunity to bond over their favorite singers, music genres and songs.

The club started with co-presidents Evelyn Jiang and Dhruvak Mirani in fall 2023. Club meetings were informal, but a semester later, it’s officially recognized as a club on campus.

“It’s crazy to think that some people were at the same concert as you and you had no clue who they were,” club treasurer Eesha Thakkar said. “Now they’re in front of you and you guys are talking about the same songs and you have the same experiences.”

From homework and classes to internships and jobs, college comes with a lot of stressors. Meet Me Behind McKeldin Mall serves as an environment

By Katherine Mahoney I Diversions writer

where students can escape from college stressors and have fun with people who share a common interest, according to Thakkar, a sophomore public health science major.

The club hosted its first official general body meeting this past week and discussed hot topics in pop culture, such as the Grammys and the Super Bowl, according to Jiang, a sophomore computer science major.

“I think when you look at it from the outside, it feels like a very niche club,” Helen Wang, the club’s vice president and junior economics and marketing major said. “But once you come to a meeting you find that everyone’s just so friendly, and everyone’s so willing to get to know each other, and we really bond over the shared interest.”

The club has collaborated with different organizations on campus to host events. The club hosted listening parties for new album releases, such as Olivia Rodrigo’s GUTS, with student radio station WMUC in the fall 2023 semester, Mirani said.

Meet Me Behind McKeldin Mall also worked with dining services to serve Taylor Swift’s famous chai sugar cookies in dining halls the day 1989 (Taylor’s Version) came out, according to Mirani, a sophomore computer science and government and politics major.

“[The cookies] were great. I heard a lot of people talking about them, people who weren’t even remotely interested in Taylor Swift or pop music,” Mirani said. “At some point I was in McKeldin Library on the second floor and I heard people talking about it completely unprompted.”

Meet Me Behind McKeldin Mall is planning similar events in the future. Alongside more listening parties, the club plans to hold a friendship bracelet making event and a pop culture trivia night, Mirani said.

“Since I love these pop and indie artists, I just want to meet other people who do as well and create a community,” Jiang said. “It’s important to have balance in your college life.”

Meet Me Behind McKeldin Mall

UMD SGA event promotes consent, healthy relationships

By Lillian Glaros I Staff writer

The University of Maryland SGA discussed healthy relationships and consent on Feb. 12 at their “Conversation Hearts” event in Stamp Student Union.

Student attendees made self-care baskets, filling them with lotions, face masks, condoms and more. The event hoped to encourage students to engage in conversations about the importance of communication in relationships and provide students the opportunity to practice self-care, according to Danica Choi, the director of the Student Government Association’s sexual misconduct prevention committee, which organized the event.

“I wanted to mention not only people in relationships and setting boundaries, but also being single and being in a time of selfcare and self-love because not everyone’s in a relationship 24/7,” the senior government and politics major said.

Choi also highlighted the importance of healthy non-romantic relationships, including those community members have

with friends or family.

Avery Powers, a sophomore English major, agreed that the need for communication extends beyond romantic relationships. It is especially important to overcome hesitations while verbalizing feelings in relationships, Powers added.

At the event, students expressed themselves through art and wrote letters, Choi said.

Powers said she appreciated how the event’s activities made discussing sensitive relationship topics easier.

“I enjoyed the arts and crafts aspect while discussing a topic that can be a little more personal and touchy,” Powers said. “It was nice to be able to relax and just color or draw or make something for myself.”

The event also included a discussion led by Charlotte Sheffield, an assistant coordinator at this university’s Campus Advocates Respond and Educate to Stop Violence office in the University Health Center. Sheffield emphasized the importance of setting

boundaries in relationships.

Communicating boundaries in a relationship, new or existing, can be very difficult, she said. Sheffield added that the SGA event was important because it will help students learn how to communicate as they enter new relationships.

“Oftentimes, we don’t talk about what we need or we don’t think about it and don’t know how to communicate it,” Sheffield said. “[We] really wanted people to know that their boundaries matter, their feelings matter, and to have some space to strategize about how to talk about it.”

Moving forward, Sheffield encouraged students interested in discussing consent or issues in their relationships to make an appointment with this university’s CARE to Stop Violence office. The office offers confidential advocacy, therapy services and education and outreach workshops.

Crafting supplies lay on a table at the Conversation Hearts event sponsored by the SGA on Feb. 12, 2024. (Lillian Glaros/The Diamondback)