New Interfaith Campus Coalition holds first meeting

Shantel Pettway

Graduate student Emily Potter has turned her degree and interest for religious studies into one of the newest student organizations on campus: Interfaith Campus Coalition.

ICC is part of Potter’s thesis, but she described it as being more than just a component of her research. She described it as part of a deeper issue she sees within the Bowling Green community.

“I’ve traveled a lot, and I’ve seen little engagement between people with different faith backgrounds, even in the Bowling Green community,” Potter said.

Potter’s hopes are to create dialogue among people of different beliefs so they can work together throughout the community and broaden their knowledge. 

“I want people to look beyond those lines of difference and realize that more work can be done together rather than being isolated from one another,” Potter said. 

There are three main objectives Potter wants involved parties to think about: increasing religious education and literacy from different perspectives, building a space of meaningful interfaith-related conversations based on participants’ experience and being able to cooperate with people of different faith. 

Advisor Eric Bain-Selbo, the department head of philosophy and religion, is excited to be serving “his small role” with ICC. 

“I’m happy to support [Potter] … the religious tolerance and different perspectives that will be shared in this organization make me eager to see where this goes,” Bain-Selbo said. 

ICC’s first meeting was held Monday in Tate Page Hall. According to Potter, the main purpose of the interest meeting was to introduce people to the group and its practices. 

The meeting also set the stage for participants to state what they wanted to see out of the group and to practice interfaith dialogue. 

“This isn’t just about my ideas and what I want to see out of the group but to help bring other people’s ideas to fruition,” Potter said.

Learn more about ICC by following WKU Interfaith Campus Coalition on Facebook.