TO: Dr. Vincent Boudreau, President of City College

FROM: Hajra Malik, Student

DATE: March 10, 2026

SUBJECT: Restoration of carpet in the interfaith and Meditation space in NAC 1/211

I am writing on behalf of the students and faculty members who utilize the Interfaith and Meditation Space in NAC 1/211 to urgently request the reinstallation of its carpet. Previously, there was carpet laid in NAC 1/211, the prayer room that was pulled out due to a possible bed bug infestation in September 2025. This has caused some distress among the utilizers of the interfaith room. As a member of the Women in Islam club, I frequently visit the interfaith room. While hearing from the other users of the interfaith room, they want the carpet reinstalled as it is easier to pray and meditate in that room. This place serves the role of providing our diverse community a quiet area for prayer, meditation, and reflection. 

Why Installing the carpet is necessary

Installing the carpet isn’t just a matter of providing more space, it is also a matter of providing comfort and a space for students where they can revitalize their brains. In an article published in Psychology today, it is stated that in a large population study led by Harvard professor Tyler VanderWeele, found that young adults who prayed daily tended to have fewer depressive symptoms, and higher levels of satisfaction, self-esteem, and positive affect, in comparison to those who never prayed (Whitley 2019). This explains the need for daily prayers and how it affects mental health. A better mental health is good for grades and studying. Moreover, if people are in a better state of mind, it would help the students and faculty make better study choices. 

The consequences for Students

Since there is no carpet installed in the prayer room, students and users and faculty are now reliant on prayer rugs to protect their knees and the prayer rugs are uncomfortable. The number of people who visit that room during prayer times is huge. There are prayer rugs in that room to accommodate the needs of students but sometimes, there are not enough rugs. As it is the Holy month of Ramadan, the number of people that frequent this space have increased. Due to the lack of prayer rugs, the users are inconvenienced as they might need to choose between praying or going to the next class. Not every single student has enough time to wait for someone to free a prayer rug so they can pray. Class schedules do not allow waiting. In this case, some may pray and some may go to lecture. Both situations cause distress. As students may be depressed they didn’t get to pray or on the other hand, if they chose to pray they would miss important class details. So choosing between a prayer rug or class is not something that syncs with the city college’s mission as a diverse and inclusive education institution. This has health concerns. The students and faculty members are barefoot and are at risk of contacting diseases through skin. The current bare floor poses a potential health risk as it can harbor and transmit bacteria and diseases; a clean, regularly vacuumed carpet provides a more hygienic surface for prayer. 

Addressing the Concerns related to carpet reinstallation

The carpets were removed due to a possible bed bug infestation. This issue can be addressed by the students. The infestation was possibly due to irregular cleaning or someone’s shortcoming as not being able to keep the space clean. As written in an article in wikiHow, if the carpets are vacuumed weekly, and in case of suspicion that there are bedbugs, cleaned daily, the carpets can be saved from infestation. Disposing the collected dust and debris carefully in a plastic bag that can be sealed and removed from the space immediately can be helpful to prevent and eliminate bedbugs (Carillo, Blinka 2025). The visitors of the interfaith space would be more than happy to keep the space clean and can create a chart to assign cleaning duty to people so the rug is cleaned and vacuumed regularly. 

Conclusion

The current state of the interfaith room runs counter to the college’s commitment to fostering an environment where all students can thrive. The lack of proper accommodation for daily prayer creates a barrier to spiritual practice and negatively impacts student mental health and academic punctuality. However, the issue of hygiene can be effectively addressed through a partnership between the administration and the students.

Finally, I would like to request the community of CCNY to reinstall the carpet in the Interfaith room so everybody can pray and be joyous. Restoring the carpet is not merely an issue of interior design; it is a matter of student equity, mental wellness, and upholding CCNY’s mission as an inclusive institution. 

Attachments: 

Whitley, R. (2019, September 9). Prayer and Mental Health. Psychology Today.

Carillo, D. & Blinka, G. (2025). How to Clean Carpets to Prevent Bed Bugs. wikiHow.