Maya Washburn / Staff Writer
A non-denominational chapel is planned to be constructed on FIU’s Modesto Maidique Campus in March 2024.
It will use a $5 million dollar gift donation to the project by philanthropists Trish and Dan Bell, gifted in Jan. 2019.
Trish and Dan Bell are FIU Foundation directors who support cultural and educational initiatives in the community. The Bells have previously spoken to PantherNOW, in regards to the construction of the interfaith chapel. This will be a shared space for people of multiple faiths to contemplate and act on those faiths.
Students await the chapel’s construction as its expected three-year construction period looms. The anticipated completion is March 2024 according to Kenneth Jessell, chief financial officer and senior vice president of Finance and Administration at FIU.
FIU chapel announcement made at the January 26, 2019 campaign kickoff celebration. From left: Humberto “Burt” Cabañas ’76, Dan and Trish Bell, Debbie and Dr. Albert Taño, President Mark Rosenberg. Photo courtesy of FIU News.
Howard Lipman, CEO of FIU Foundation and senior vice president of University Advancement, gave insight as to where the process is now.
“We established a fundraising goal of $8.96 million for the chapel, actively engaged with multiple supporters of the university who will help us meet our goal and have posted ads for selection of an architect,” said Lipman.
A multi-faith chapel would have significant impacts on the spiritual needs of the university community, according to student leaders of Muslim Student Association (MSA) and Cru at FIU, a campus ministry group.
The chapel will include a 250-person sanctuary, 200-person multi-purpose room, prayer room, offices, multi-faith counseling rooms, conference rooms and a small reflection room open 24/7, according to an FIU Board of Trustees (BOT) meeting on Dec. 3, 2020.
Sabha Hammad, president of MSA and junior studying international relations, described how daily life for the club’s members would change with the chapel.
Sabha Hammad, president of the Muslim Student Association at FIU. Photo courtesy of Sabha Hammad.
“We’re excited to actually have a prayer room,” said Hammad. “Since the MSA started, it’s almost been a decade we’ve been fighting for this.”
Hammad explained that in the Islam faith, you must pray five times a day in a secluded, dedicated space. She said FIU provided a space called the “serenity room” for Muslim students to pray, but the space was inaccessible and difficult to use.
“Within one year [in the serenity room], we were forbidden to keep prayer mats or any kind of religious things in there,” said Hammad. “It was in a very tucked away space on the third floor of [the Graham Center]. If you’re on campus all day, that’s a long trek up there.”
Hammad told PantherNOW she would sometimes find somewhere else to pray because she felt the space was disrespectful of their faith.
“They used to shove filing cabinets and a random microwave [by the entrance of the serenity room], said Hammad. “We didn’t put that stuff there; the school put that stuff there.”
She hopes the new chapel will remedy the situation.
“I do feel like having a multifaith chapel is very good, just long as it is respectful of the faiths,” said Hammad.
Moiz Khatri, former president of MSA and senior studying computer science, said the serenity room served its purpose for the organization before the pandemic.
“I think several might have been mistaken about the microwave and the filing cabinets because those weren’t part of the serenity room,” said Khatri. “They were, as far as I know, the resources on the side of the offices on the same floor.”
Moiz Khapri, former president of the Muslim Student Association at FIU. Photo courtesy of Moiz Khatri.
He explained that while MSA members were not allowed to keep religious items in the room, they were still permitted to use them.
“I think in my first semester we were allowed [to keep religious items in the serenity room], but then there were a few changes that were made when [administration] made it more of a multipurpose room [and] they didn’t want us to keep anything in there, which I understand,” said Khatri.
He said he hopes the multifaith chapel will provide more convenience and accommodations for the faith groups on campus overall.
Anna Craig, a student leader of Cru at FIU and junior studying hospitality and tourism management, expressed interest in freely practicing her faith in the space provided.
“I think the chapel will allow for more spiritual conversations [in] a space that can easily be accessed by any organization, without having to go through the bureaucracy of getting a room,” said Craig.
Anna Craig, student leader with Cru at FIU. Photo courtesy of Anna Craig.
She noticed an increase of interest in spirituality amongst fellow students during the pandemic.
“A lot of people’s ideas have shifted either away or towards spirituality,” said Craig. “I think this time has shown that tomorrow is not guaranteed.”
She said the chapel should be a place that reflects the university’s diversity and helps students explore faith.
“I think a lot of [students] haven’t had the opportunity to explore other religions, [or] understand what it’s like to live out faith during college or as an individual separate from their family,” said Craig. “So I think it’s important that FIU has this multifaith chapel.”
Craig hopes the chapel can serve spiritual health, rather than merely mental or physical health. She referenced the Healthy Living Program, Counseling and Psychological Services and the Wellness and Recreation Centers.
FIU plans to accomplish this with the Bell Chapel.
“The life of the mind is at the forefront of any large university, and FIU is no exception,” said Lipman. “However, we need a place to strengthen the life of the spirit.”
Jessell said the pandemic did not impact the timeline of the chapel’s construction.
According to the BOT meeting, the construction process will include realignment of the east loop road, SW 108 Avenue, which will remove a sharp right turn and stop at a busy intersection. This will accommodate the planned chapel location and future Graham Center expansion.
The planned location of the Trish and Dan Bell Chapel at FIU MMC. Graphic via BOT’s Facility Program Committee.
The road realignment will cost $6.48 million. When added to the chapel’s cost, the total projected cost for the project is $15.44 million.
The design fees for the chapel will be funded by Trish and Dan Bell, while the road realignment will be funded by the university’s unrestricted treasury auxiliary fund balances.
The budget will be submitted to the Florida Board of Governors for approval in accordance with Regulation 14.003, which requires Florida public universities to submit construction budgets to the BOG. This would come after budget plan approval by the BOT in June 2021.
The design will include elements of nature to represent a unified spiritual experience and the importance of sustainability, according to the BOT.
Lipman emphasized the need for the chapel at FIU as efforts have accelerated in 2021.
“The Bell Chapel will be one of the most important structures to be built at FIU since it opened its doors nearly 50 years ago,” said Lipman. “It will fulfill an unmet need at our FIU – the creation of a centralized location for people to commune for spiritual endeavors and exchange.”
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