UPIKE spiritual life hosts meal for WUW
0Written By Christopher Reynolds
Last week was Peace and Nonviolence Week for the University of Pikeville (UPIKE), and in last week’s What’s Up Wednesday (WuW), around 50 people from the UPIKE community joined together on the 7th floor of the Health Professions Education Building (HPE) for a Peace Meal. When people came in, they were asked to remove their shoes, grab a plate, and find a seat at one of the various mats that were laid out where they would wait to be offered food. While this may sound strange, there was a fundamental message behind all of this.
“The peace meal is based on the religion of Sikhism from India. In places of worship, people are typically offered a meal when they enter. They eat in lines, and everyone is equal in that space,” said Chaplain Rob Musick.
While not wearing shoes may seem strange, it was central to the idea of equality; many of the students thought the experience was different but enjoyable.
“It was an awesome opportunity to eat new food and meet new people. It was nice for me to get out and do something, and they should do this again. It was different, and that made it more great,” said Amari Matthews, freshman.
The Student Success advisors working the event also found it to be a worthwhile experience, and they would likely do it again.
“It is not every day you get to experience that. It is an experience that you can learn from on a social and personal level,” said Wes Rose, student success advisor.
Amanda Stacy, another advisor, described the event as an act of people extending care to others. As it would seem, the Peace Meal truly brought the UPIKE community together
“Students should try to come to every WuW. There’s food, diversity, and a chance to relax,” said Musick.