AndoverMagSpring2015

For all that, though, and for all thesupport that the chaplaincy bothreceives and provides, there can stillbe moments when religion seems aslightly uneasy fit on campus. Can aplace that so values intellect also givematters of the spirit their due? For herpart, says Gardner, “One of the thingsI’ve tried to preach and embody is thatthere needn’t be a divide between thosetwo things. You needn’t be a personof intellect or a person of faith.... Weneedn’t check our mind at the doorwhen we come to church.”Kantor says that while she’s pleasedwith the growth of the active Catholiccommunity in her time on campus,she would like to see the work of thechaplaincy integrated into the broaderlife of the school. “For me,” she says,“the ideal would be that the religious orspiritual or spiritually seeking aspectsof students would be as welcomed andintegrated in the school’s life as theirethnic identity, national identity, sexualorientation, and so on…. With the newwellness center and the focus on equityand inclusion, I’m hopeful that thisrecognition of students’ religious andspiritual interests will not be limited tothe time they spend with their religiouscommunities once or twice a week.”The tensions Gendler once remarkedupon—between the secular and thespiritual—may have their present-daycounterparts. Equity and inclusionform one pillar of the new StrategicPlan, but what does that mean inrelation to religion? Paying attentionto the calendar is one importantaspect. Gendler recalls a time duringhis tenure when a crucial studentactivity was scheduled during YomKippur, the most solemn of Jewishholidays. “For the Jewish students, itwas a terrible conflict,” says Gendler,though, he adds, “The intensity ofthe crisis sensitized everyone to theimportance of being aware. It was aninstructive moment.” Nonetheless, theevent wasn’t rescheduled. More than30 years on, Swarttz bookends thatwith an experience from his time at PA:Again, an important student activityconflicted with Yom Kippur. But thistime, he says, students brought it to theattention of the administration, and thedate was changed.When the tripartite chaplaincy wasformed, addressing the needs ofProtestant, Catholic, and Jewish studentswas deemed sufficient. But today,many more faiths are represented oncampus, and today’s chaplaincy isworking toward greater inclusivity.Kantor notes that current chaplaincieshave worked together to create interfaithprojects, activities, and dialogues.“Students have an eagerness and deepinterest in getting to know one another’sreligious traditions,” she says.Equity and inclusion, though, mayalso mean casting spirituality in muchbroader terms—more inclusive terms,if you will. Says Gardner, “As director,I’m charged in essence to think anewabout how to answer these big questions:Who am I? How do I decide howI’m going to walk in the world? Whatvalue system do I follow? What kindof person do I want to grow up to be?These are deeply spiritual questions....My continuing challenge is to servicethose people who have a particularpractice and, for those who don’t, tokeep the conversation going.”“…the spirituallife of this agegroup wasimportantenough, and thatthe world waschanging enough,that there neededto be a newvision.”—The Reverend Anne Gardner•2013Sixty students, faculty, and alumni march inAndover’s first campus gay pride parade in honorof the 25th anniversary of the GSA (now knownas the Gender and Sexuality Alliance).•2013| | | PA marks 40 yearsAt a faculty meeting, student leaders of Andover’s feministof coeducation.•2013group (Feminism = Equality) describe ongoing gender-relatedissues—some shocking—and suggest ways faculty can helpachieve gender equality on campus.Andover | Spring 201551