Junior Louis Florez looks like a typical SMU student. He sitsslightly slumped back on his chair in his collared baby-blue Poloshirt and khaki shorts as he lightly taps his brown suede sandal onthe floor. Florez is a member of the on-campus Pagan group Pursuersof All Things Holy and Sacred organization.

“We’re not a threat to the campus. We don’t doanything scary. We don’t lurk in the shadows waiting topounce on the innocent,” Florez said with a slight chuckle.And he assures that no one will be automatically converted afterattending a meeting. Like most religious groups on campus, PATHS isnot a cult but a fellowship.

Although some people may disagree with a Pagan religious groupbeing represented on campus, through constitutional rights, PATHShas made a case for itself.

It has been an uphill battle since 1997 for PATHS presidentSusan Harper-Bisso. Harper-Bisso, an SMU anthropology graduatestudent, was one of the only “out” Pagans on campus sixyears ago. She has since met and made friends like Florez to begina campus-wide program that now has over 30 members.

There were several attempts at starting a group over the years,and after three years of meetings without SMU affiliation, PATHSwas accepted as a religious organization in February 2003.

“There is something to be said for informal networking.It’s a process and an adventure to become an organization oncampus; the steps are very prescribed,” Harper-Bissosaid.

The biggest challenge for the group was going through the campusministry council, which is made up of all the religious groups oncampus. Every religious group, now totaling 27 according to the SMUStudent Organization Web site, must receive approval from theministry council before an application can be submitted tosenate.

“We were something they had never seen,”Harper-Bisso said. “It’s really difficult to walk intoa room when you know you need their approval, and there are one ortwo people that hate you based on what you believe.”

The ministry council was skeptical of the program they knewlittle about.

While well-versed in its own walk of life, the board did notknow how a group such as PATHS would fit into theuniversity’s tight knit community. Reported by The DailyCampus last year, William Barnet, a professor in the religiousstudies department, helped to encourage the PATHS organization bygaining the support of the ministry council after its initialrejection of the group in October 2002.

The new group put together a packet for each council memberallowing them to better understand the purpose and beliefs of thePagan religion. The material helped to clarify misconceptions.

Members of the group are aware that educating the public is thefirst step in breaking the stereotype.

“I’m very spiritual and also very religious —that is, I feel that it is important to not just have a personalspiritual life, but to have a community with whom to share thatspirituality,” PATHS member Amy Dominguez said.

Like Christianity’s denominational divisions, Paganismalso has various sects. Due to these sects and the belief that thereligion is individualized, Pagans have had to take thesedifferences into account by compromising in a communitysetting.

The religion does not adhere to a concept of sin and holds thebelief that evil comes through an individual’s choice. PATHSmeetings, rituals and fellowship are grounded in the elements:earth, fire, wind, water and spirit. Followers believe in an”interconnectedness” that helps them understand theworld around them.

Current members of PATHS tend to be geared toward the socialsciences, an area of study that welcomes open-mindedness anddiversity. Members of the Pagan organization and other religiousgroups on campus hope to promote awareness of religionsmisconceptions and overcome their constraints.

Dominguez said, “Here where we have freedom of religion,it’s a struggle to get others to understand that, even if youbelieve you have the cornerstone on religious truth, that stilldoesn’t give you the legal right to disrupt someoneelse’s search for depth, meaning and the goddess.”

In today’s society, pop culture has made Paganism muchmore commonplace. Films and novel series like Harry Potter andsitcoms such as “Charmed” have helped raise awarenessof such alternative ways of life. Though they may be fantasticalHollywood views, they have assisted in dispelling the idea that”Pagan” refers to “cult” or”Satanist.”

“From my Christian standpoint, I see a group like PATHS asencouraging people to seek the divine in their lives,”sophomore co-president of SMU’s Catholic Campus MinistryStephanie Jenson said. “Any step to understandingspirituality is a step in seeking what I believe to be God theTrinity,” Jenson said.

“[PATHS’] presence in no way intimidates, worries orconfuses my personal faith in Jesus Christ or how the SMU Wesleylives out its mission at SMU. Its presence only creates a moredramatic backdrop against which the truth and love of Jesus willcontrast and stand out,” pastor of the Wesley FoundationCreighton Alexander said.

PATHS first public celebration will be held later this month.Halloween is actually much like New Years to the pagan religion.Trick-or-treating, masks and sweets originate fromHallowe’en, the Feast of the Ancestors, which marks the endof the lunar year. Masks were part of the celebrated traditionbecause Pagans believed it prevented the dead from taking them backto the other side with them. Pagans mark the holiday as a joyousoccasion, a celebration of life and remembrance of those whodied.

The event, scheduled for 7 p.m. , Oct. 30 outside Dallas Hall,will incorporate much of the traditional metaphoric ideas of thePagan religion. People of all faiths are welcome to attend theevent. There will be a basic explanation before the eventbegins.

“It can be an intense experience, but it doesn’thave to be frightening. It speaks of this universal experience ofdeath and grief that we all experience,” Harper-Bissosaid.

Students attending will witness people acting out various Paganmyths as they are guided through the various outdoors stations.

“Halloween is a special holiday because it is one thateveryone — no matter what religion they practice — canget into. I can’t wait to share a bit of my life with mypeers who don’t normally get to experience this sort of thingbecause they aren’t Pagan,” Dominguez said.