According to Pew Research Center, there are more Muslims who attend college than the general population, and their numbers are on the rise. More than fifty colleges and universities currently have Muslim chaplains or advisers, including Yale and Princeton.
In Minnesota, a growing number of private colleges have enlisted Muslim student advisers as their Muslim student body has gone up. The advisors help students with balancing prayer and class schedules, landing internships, and also help process the student’s emotions during difficult times (like the recent attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, and the recent spike of Islamophobia). The advisors also play a key role to broader campus communities, advocating Islam and the student population.
“With the growing number of Muslim students, it was really key to have a Muslim student adviser,” says Fardosa Hagander, a Muslim student adviser at Augsburg College’s campus ministry. “We can’t help but do what we’re doing.”
