Fall 2021

The principal role of the Chaplaincy is to understand and meet the holistic needs of the student body at the Claremont Colleges. As we continue to adapt to the reality of the Covid-19 pandemic, we must balance the needs of serving students spiritually and emotionally with the concern for physical safety and public health.

In order to strike this balance, the Chaplains Office requires that events held at and around the McAlister Center will adhere to these rules. Guided by the wisdom of our individual religious traditions to value the sanctity of human life, care for ourselves, and protect the vulnerable in our community, we have established these policies for the Fall Semester of 2021.

• All student or community groups must have a Chaplain advisor-contact and must receive permission from their designated advisor in order to use the McAlister Center.
• All student or community groups must schedule indoor spaces during regular business hours, 8 AM – 5 PM. Outdoor spaces including the patio and Tents on Tenth can be scheduled after business hours. Check the CHAPLAINS CALENDAR for availability.
• All in-person events will require sign-ins for participants to assist in contact tracing.
• Masks must be worn indoors at all times and social distancing of six feet will be required. Masks must be worn to cover nose and mouth well.

Before inquiring about scheduling, please check the CHAPLAINS CALENDAR for availability.

Reservations are currently being accepted for Fall 2021.

If there is availbility, please use the following link to schedule the Tents on Tenth. To schedule an indoor space during office hours or the patio at any time, please contact chaplains@claremont.edu.

Prayer and Meditation Room

The Prayer and Meditation Room offers a private and quiet space for personal prayer and meditation. We have a collection of prayer books from a variety of faith traditions. We also have religious paraphernalia such as holy books (including the Bible and Quran), three Torahs, prayer shawls, phylacteries, prayer mats, washing room, crosses, idols, and more.  Students with a daily prayer routine can obtain after hours access (see instructions below). The Prayer and Meditation Room is occasionally reserved for group worship, so be sure to consult the event calendar before you head over.

Max Capacity : 40

Room Furniture: movable benches, podium

Lounge

The Lounge is our largest space and is a multi-function and flexible room. With high ceilings and tall windows it is an ideal space for religious gatherings and worship. The room also houses our larger prayer services, meals, programs, and events. It can be setup with rectangle tables or just chairs. It has audio/visual capabilities for showing audio, video, or presentations. There is a small kitchen that can used as well. Large events take priority for reservations and availability is extremely limited to regular worship services and events.

Max Capacity: 120 standing, 90 seated lecture style, 75 seated with tables

Room Furniture: movable rectangular tables, alter table, chairs, piano, and podium

Library

The Library is surrounded by shelves filled with holy religious texts and books on a variety of related topics. Hopefully one day we will have our collection cataloged online, but in the meantime you’ll have to come on down to explore our collection.  The library is also used as a meeting space and conference room. It has a fixed table for meetings or small gatherings. It has a large TV that can be used for presentations or to watch a video with a small group. It’s a great room to come relax, hangout, or do your homework. The Library is often reserved for group meetings, so be sure to consult the event calendar before you head over.

Max Capacity: 20

Room Furniture: Fixed table, about 15 chairs, and a couch

Community Room

The community room is the newest addition to our facilities, and is still a work in progress. It is located in the basement of the McAlister Center. We hope one day it will serve as a place for students to have a safe and substance free place to hang out with friends, relax, watch TV, and play video games. It is currently used as a small meeting room for a maximum of 12 people.

Max Capacity: 12

Room Furniture: Folding table and chairs

Outside Patio

Great place to sit, read a book, eat lunch, or just get some sun.

Max Capacity: 12

Furniture: Fixed Tables with umbrellas and chairs.

Kosher Kitchen

The Kosher Kitchen is a small kitchen that is used by student groups to prepare kosher meals. It is a meat kitchen only (no dairy products!), and only hechshered products are permitted.

Reservations

Before inquiring about scheduling, please check the CHAPLAINS CALENDAR for availability.

Reservations are currently being accepted for Fall 2021.

Groups that want to request space or make a standing reservation must first be a recognized religious/spiritual organization and have completed the Religious Preference Form for the current school year. Once that has been completed, please contact your Chaplain Advisor and/or email chaplains@claremont.edu. Responses are usually sent within 48 – 72 hours. You must also agree to abide by our “General Meeting Room Rules“.

One-time reservations for groups that are not recognized religious/spiritual organization will be considered if space is available. Please contact chaplains@claremont.edu. Responses are usually sent within 48 – 72 hours.

Swipe Access

First talk to your Chaplain Advisor about swipe access. Swipe access may be granted to a student for a specific purpose.

Upon receiving approval from your Chaplain Advisor, please complete this form to request swipe access and to agree to our “Swipe Access Guidelines” and “General Meeting Room Rules” Agreement. Completing this form does not guarantee access and any violation of the policy may result in losing your card swipe access. Please be sure to get e-mail confirmation from us before you rely on getting into McAlister with your swipe access.

Note: Under normal circumstances, our spaces are available for individual students to relax and enjoy when not in use for a service or program. However, during the pandemic, spaces are available by reservation only. The patio is open. Please consult the event calendar for vacancy, but please note that not every event or reservation will be reflected in the calendar. Also please be aware that set-up/take down can be make a room unavailable for as long as 48-72 hours before or after an event, especially in the case of the Lounge. You can always call us if you have a questions about availability.