The importance of spirituality and religion on college campuses came to the forefront on Saturday.

Arthur Chickering, special assistant to the president of Goddard College in Vermont, delivered the keynote address of the Spirituality on Campus conference Saturday in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union.

He made a careful distinction between religion and spirituality.

“In religion, often the archetypal figures become icons, and Nirvana and heaven are not optional to people,” he said. “People can be spiritual without being religious.”

Chickering offered a simple, practical definition of spirituality, a concept often intertwined and confused with religion.

“Being spiritual is about doing things that change who you are,” he said.

Chickering argued that more students are requesting discussions about religion and spirituality on campuses of higher education.

“According to a national study of college students, only 55 percent are happy with the opportunities provided for religious discussions on campus,” he said.

“This shows a clear gap between what students want and the policies of campus administrators.”

Terrence Bond, assistant director of residential life at Illinois Wesleyan University, agreed with Chickering.

“I think as we move forward, we should have spirituality at the forefront of student affairs.”

Chickering gave further proof for his claim.

“Spiritualism is statistically significantly related with several positive traits, such as the ability to coexist with others and the ability to forgive,” he said.

He then addressed the audience, which included students and administrators from many different colleges, about the growing role of religion in mainstream society.

“Back in 2001, I argued that religion was no longer a marginal subject. It sat in power in the Oval Office and the Senate,” he said. “The severity of that has gone down since then, but it is still true.”