Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life and Chapel Collection

In the fall of 2003, Douglas G. and Edna Truitt Noiles gave a one million dollar gift to Elon University to endow new religious and spiritual life programs on campus. The endowed programs and internships allow Elon students to explore religious and spiritual traditions, as well as focus on the spiritual nature of their lives so they can be involved with creating and facilitating spiritually enriching communities. According to an article in the fall 2004 Magazine of Elon , "The five new programs in the Truitt Center include an interfaith speaker series, visits by spiritual leaders, a study abroad course focused on important pilgrimage sites and retreats and workshops focused on service, spiritual values and life skills." The programs and interns are housed in the Vera Richardson Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life. The center is named in memory of Edna Truitt Noiles' mother, Vera Richardson Truitt, who raised her family in Alamance County, North Carolina and sent all six of her daughters to Elon College. The center was dedicated on October 11, 2004 and is located at the corner of East College and Antioch Avenues. According to the 2012 Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life Web site, "The Truitt Center is a safe place for spiritual growth and interfaith exploration. Our mission is to encourage students to honor the spiritual dimension of life, be vitally connected to a faith tradition, embrace the present responsibility and the future with hope, and live the principles they value." Beginning in 1890, chapel programs took place every day and students were required to attend, as attendance was taken. The repercussions for not attending chapel varied over the years and are outlined in the Elon Student Handbook publication. In the fall of 1962, Elon College modified the attendance policy for students by reducing the requirement to one day a week. Freshmen typically attended chapel on Thursdays, while upperclassmen attended on Fridays. A voluntary service for all students was offered on Tuesdays. Additionally, Elon students were permitted five absences from chapel per semester. In the fall of 1968, a new policy was adopted in which students could earn fifteen attendance points each semester by attending religious and cultural programs on campus. Students would earn one point for attending chapel and two points for attending cultural programs. In May of 1969, the Board of Trustees approved a recommendation (put forth by the Student Government Association) to no longer require student attendance at chapel, instead giving academic credit to students who attended chapel and cultural programs. If students attended a minimum of thirty events per year, they would earn one semester hour credit. Granting academic credit for attending chapel and approved cultural programs continued in some fashion at Elon until 1985. Chapel was re-named to Numen Lumen in January of 2013.