COLUMBIA: Educator and activist Simran Jeet singh has been appointed as Columbia’s first-ever Sikh Religious Life Adviser. He will join Columbia’s 15 other Religious Life Advisers, clergy and spiritual advisers that oversee various faith groups in the university, along with support from “sending organisations” outside of the institution. Singh's sending organisation is the Sikh Coalition, a New York-based civil rights organisation, and he will provide Sikh students with direct spiritual counseling and organised programming.
Singh, who received his B.A from Trinity University also holds graduate degrees from Columbia and Harvard University. He is a Senior Religion Fellow for the Sikh Coalition and a Visiting Scholar at NYU's Center for Religion and Media. Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, he was among the few Sikhs in his community when growing up.
Former co-president of CU Sewa Anmolpreet Kandola said, “It's a very long time coming, and it's going to be really great for Sikh students on this campus to feel like they have a place here. That their religion doesn't have to be this constantly other-ed thing that they constantly have to explain... They won't feel like they're alone.” Sikh students represent a small but active part of the campus community. CU Sewa is the only Sikh organisation on campus, based on the Sikh values of peace, social justice, and selfless service. However, the club is also open to non-Sikh students. According to the current president of the group, Sunny Birdi, Singh's experience with social justice work and his “phenomenal track record” will be invaluable resources for the club.
“It helps having someone of his background who has navigated the waters of handling how to incorporate a club such as ours into the community and make sure that we're doing our best to include everyone,” he said.
“When I was here doing my Ph.D., I often longed for community. There were a handful of [Sikh] graduate students and professors … but we never had someone who was devoted to facilitating and guiding students,” Singh said. Kandola said he was excited about the prospect of having a personal adviser to advocate for and guide Sikh students through their undergraduate experience. “A lot of kids come to college not really sure of how their religious identities play into their college experiences. The biggest thing is having someone who can lead guided discussion … where you can ask these sort of exploratory questions and ask questions without being judged.”
