Emerson’s new Director of Religious and Spiritual Life and Campus Chaplain Harrison Blum discussed potential spiritual and religious events with the Student Government Association at Tuesday’s meeting.

Blum started at the college in January and introduced his goals to the members.

He is piloting “Circle Up,” a community gathering that will take place every Friday in April for students to share their thoughts and hopes for the future. He also plans to host a “What Would Buddha Do?” night and a “Breakin’ with Buddha” night where students can learn basic hip-hop moves.

SGA members also recommended having conversations about being religious away from home. Emily Solomon, executive president, said that some students are judged for being religious, and Christians are associated with being conservative.

Patricia De la Garza, performing arts senator, said she’s received backlash for being Catholic because of the church’s political views.

Members also participated in an activity where they anonymously wrote their concerns about SGA on piece of paper. Some comments were about how SGA needs new faces, how welcoming members are, executive board transparency, and how it can be difficult to communicate with one another. They plan to discuss these concerns in a future meeting.