Traditionally, Madison is known as a liberal hotspot, open to the marketplace of ideas and considered a welcoming atmosphere for those who may not subscribe to conventional beliefs or ideologies. However, for students of minority beliefs, this type of atmosphere is not always such an easily adaptable environment.
For UW-Madison's Muslim population, the atmosphere can be quite a change from home.
\A lot of Muslim students on campus are international students. For them, it is a whole different world because they are coming from Muslim countries,"" said UW-Madison junior and Muslim Students Association chair Maryam Ashraf. ""They are coming from a place where everyone is Muslim and everyone practices.""
Madison has a reputation of being tolerant, which can be advantageous for the city, but when students have a physical distinction it can be hard to feel completely at home, she said.
One particular difference is the widespread consumption of alcohol, which is forbidden for practicing Muslims.
""Alcohol is forbidden, so on a campus where drinking is a very normal thing to do, ... you have to think about why you do what you do,"" Ashraf said.
The atmosphere does make it significantly harder to find a group of friends that do not drink, but it is a matter of finding a niche where you belong, she said. Yet in response to these challenges, the best part of coming to Madison for students can be finding out how important religion is to them.
According to Hillel Assistant Director Margo Alpert, there may be conditions at Madison that could discourage Jewish students from attending UW-Madison.
""For someone who is very religious and will only eat in Kosher restaurants, it's going to be hard for them here at school when they do not have their own apartments their first year,"" she said. ""But we do have students who come here and find a way.""
The party atmosphere could possibly present a new situation for deeply religious Jewish students, Alpert added.
""Whereas everyone in Madison goes out on Friday and Saturday nights, they're used to being with their family or religious friends,"" she said. ""There is a difference when everyone is going out to the bars and they need to decide what they want to do and still maintain their religious identity.""
For the Diamond Way Buddhist Center, UW-Madison's campus provides a venue ripe for people who have interest in meditation, but not for recruiting members, said founder John Christopherson.
The center offers free meditation sessions for the public and most of the members are from Judeo-Christian, western backgrounds. The center also sponsors lectures to increase awareness on campus of the benefits of a Buddhist lifestyle.
""You don't have to say, 'now I am a Buddhist.' The teachings and message can be useful to anyone who is open to them,"" Christopherson said.
The Muslim Student Association also sponsors events to help educate other non-Muslim students, such as the Fast-a-thon. The event is a time of fasting during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan to share significance of this practice. It also raises money for a chosen charity, Ashraf said.
As an assistant dean of students, Ed Marecki said one of his goals is to create awareness for the majority of the population and to act as a resource for students experiencing religious discrimination.
""We work to create an environment welcoming to all students regardless of their spiritual background,"" Marecki said. ""But with over 40,000 students, there's students from every walk of life, so it's hard to connect those people who share those interests.""
Marecki said he hopes students are aware there are faculty working to create a welcoming environment.
""We have a lot of work to do in that area, but I'm optimistic that we are moving in the right direction,"" he said.
