Campus Facilities

Chapel

Haebler Memorial Chapel is situated at the heart of Goucher campus. The chapel is a place for:

• individual prayer, meditation, quiet reflection;
• communal worship gatherings, both for particular religious traditions and multifaith gatherings;
• intersections between religious/spiritual opportunities and drama, art, and music;
• various theatre productions, concerts and student recitals;
• informal meetings and gatherings of students, staff and faculty;
• alumnae/ni of Goucher who occasionally return to Goucher to celebrate their weddings in this sacred space (for information about weddings, please call Dottie Bistransin at Events, Conferences, and Summer Programs, (410-337-6289).

Guidance for Use of the Chapel

The Haebler Memorial Chapel is a sacred space. It was designed as a religious space, deliberately open and not tied to a particular Christian tradition but certainly religious. It is used for religious observances both Jewish (High Holidays) and Christian (Advent, Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and others), as well as campus religious events (Alumnae/i weekend, Family Weekend, etc). In addition, weddings, funerals, memorials, and baby baptisms and dedications all occur in the Chapel.

Our Chapel is also used for a wide variety of non-religious events-Admissions presentations; lectures; concerts; dramatic performances; and more. It is a beautiful space that works well for this wide variety of events.

It is important that all events that occur within the Chapel recognize the sacred history and nature of the space. This is particularly true of the two religious pieces that are permanent parts of the Chapel. The first is the cross, hung at the front of the Chapel. The curtain is readily available to cover the cross when it is not appropriate to the event. The second religious piece is the altar, what looks like a white table at the front of the Chapel. For Christians, the altar table is often used to hold the elements of communion (or Eucharist or the Mass). For Jews, it may hold the Torah or other religious artifacts. It is certainly appropriate to put candles or flowers on the table, or a cross or other religious symbol. It is not appropriate for it to be used as furniture for sitting or lying down.

If you have questions about whether or not something in your event is appropriate for the Chapel, please contact Cynthia Terry, College Chaplain (x6048, cynthia.terry@goucher.edu, office in the Chapel basement).

Jewish Student Center

The Weinberg Jewish Student Center, located directly across from Stimson Dining Hall, is home to a newly-refurbished 200-volume Jewish library, a lounge area with couches, a fireplace, TV, VCR and stereo, the Kosher Dining Hall, a computer for student use, and the office of the Hillel Director. The Jewish Student Center is open every day from 9 a.m. until 11 p.m., and meals are served in the Kosher Dining Hall from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. and from 5 - 7 p.m. Hillel programs, such as Shabbat dinners or Hillel general meetings, are often held in the "J," but the center is open to all members of the community as a place for gathering, studying, checking e-mail, or "hanging out." For more information, or to reserve the space for a meeting or event, contact Hillel Director Josh Snyder at x6545.