Hidden in Plain Sight: TRU’s Multi-Faith Chaplaincy

Walk across the Thompson Rivers University campus and you’ll find spaces for almost everything. Lecture halls for learning. Libraries for studying. Cafeterias for conversation between classes.

But some places serve a quieter purpose.

Tucked away on campus is the TRU Multi-Faith Chaplaincy, a space where students can speak with a chaplain, reflect, or simply take a moment away from the pace of university life. It’s open to students of all faith traditions, as well as those who don’t identify with any religion at all.

The question, however, is not what the Chaplaincy is meant to be. The question is how many students actually know it exists.

To explore that question, TRU students Suzette Netto, a post-baccalaureate student in her last semester, and Jadyn Dsouza, a first-year Bachelor of Business and Supply Chain student, were asked a few simple questions: What comes to mind when they hear the words “Multi-Faith Chaplaincy”? Do they think universities should offer spaces for emotional or spiritual support? And in a time when most campus information spreads through social media, how visible is the Chaplaincy to the students it hopes to reach?

Their answers reveal something simple but telling. While many students believe spaces for reflection and support matter, awareness of the Chaplaincy itself remains surprisingly limited.

Which raises a quiet but important question: On a busy university campus, how many meaningful places remain hidden in plain sight?