Thursday, Jan. 25, may have been wet and gray outside, but as dusk fell it was bright and warm inside the Prayer and Meditation House, where the Islamic Cultural Association put on a reopening celebration to encourage more students to make use of the space. The PAM House provides students with round-the-clock access to space to pray and meditate.
Sandwiched at the midway point between Brooks Hall and Carr Hall, the building’s cherry-red exterior is unmistakable — but many students remain unsure about how the space functions.
“People know about the PAM House, but I feel like so far the crowd is limited to people who already know about it, or friends of those people,” said ICA Treasurer Hussain Minhas, ’24. “So we kind of wanted to open it up to the rest of the campus. Even though it’s been around for a long time, for a couple years now, we call it kind of a ‘PAM House opener event’ so people could get to know the space, make some food, watch some movies … Hopefully people use the space more now.”
The event attracted students who had already formed many positive memories at the PAM House, like Syd Hammerman, ’25, Charlie Schwartz, ’25 and Simon Swanson, ’25, as well as students like Isabelle Kane, ’25 and ASG Senator Chezka Quinola, ’27, who shared that this event was their first introduction to the PAM House.
“I think maybe sometimes there’s some people that don’t know what it is,” Hammerman said. “You want a meditation space? You want a safe space? This is literally why it exists — and if students feel overwhelmed in, like, their room or other campus spaces, it’s a great place to just come and center yourself. I encourage people to do it.”
Swanson emphasized that he’s glad to be back in the PAM House after spending his fall semester abroad.
“It’s just a really cool place that brings cool people,” Swanson said.
For some, the event provided reassurance that they are welcome back in the house anytime.
“I feel like now that I’ll have interacted with the space, I’ll be like ‘Hmm, maybe I will actually come by and utilize it sometime,’” Kane said.
Quinola observed feeling a sense of belonging in the house.
“I feel like the PAM house brings a lot more of the international community together,” Quinola said. “It’ll be fun to come back.”
On the first floor, students simmered a pot of chai on the kitchen stove, while others chatted over snacks like dried dates, samosas and fried moong dal in the dining room. Some people perused Netflix from perches on the couch, eventually landing on “The Queen’s Gambit.”
The second floor of the building contains dedicated rooms for Hindu, Buddhist and Muslim students to pray and another nondenominational room reserved for meditation. Out on the building’s porch swing, over chatter from inside the house, Minhas explained that the house also functions as a gathering space.
“We have a whole kitchen, so if you want to come in and cook, you can come in and cook,” Minhas said. “We have our dining room if you want to have a dinner party with your friends, play some board games, anything like that.”
For security reasons, the PAM House door code is not posted publicly on the college’s website. Instead, students must fill out the QR code located on the front door that asks for their student ID in order to be instantly sent the entrance password.
Hammerman explained that the house’s interior adds to the space’s welcoming atmosphere.
“The decor is really comforting,” Hammerman said. “String lights are always very cozy. It’s just a very peaceful vibe, and every time that I’ve had events here in the past, they’ve gone really well and comfortable so that’s why I get excited, because I know that that will continue on. And the people that work here and the people that, like, do things here make a strong effort to make sure that it is cozy and that it is a safe space. And so I really appreciate that.”
“The space is open 24/7 — there’s no specific time that you need to be here to get in,” Minhas said. “You can use it whenever you want, you can use it for whatever purpose you want, as long as you be respectful and clean about it.”
ICA is planning a number of spring events that will take place in the PAM House.
“Every Friday we have our Jumu’ah prayer which is the Friday prayer.” Minhas said. “We gather around for that to pray or to discuss before and after, so at least, like, every Friday. Other than that, we — I would say bi-monthly or monthly we’ll do, like, a movie screening or something or watch a show together in the PAM House.”
The third week of February is Islamic Awareness Week, and Minhas said ICA plans to host several events in celebration, as well as several events per week during the month of Ramadan.
Minhas emphasized that students from all religious and spiritual backgrounds on campus can find refuge from the pressure of everyday campus life at the PAM House.
“During the day whenever I’m out and about and I have to pray, I usually come here to pray if I wanna clear my mind and stuff,” Minhas said. “It’s in the name, ‘PAM House,’ you know — it’s kind of like a home away from home.”
