Letter to the Editor
Issue date: 4/17/07 Section: Opinion
To the Regis Community,
"The ultimate measure of a man" the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. tells us, "is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands in times of challenge and controversy." The past few years have shown that our school has not stepped up to the plate in time of challenge, but instead we have stood in the dugout waiting for others to lead.
"How ought we to live?" is a question posed to each of us as Regis students. It is the cornerstone of our Jesuit tradition as a community of dialogue, education and faith. The Jesuits tradition of challenging the norm, fighting for social justice and advocacy for the equality of all human beings is a challenge that Regis has overcome in the past, but now in a time of need, fails to be seen. It was the Regis Jesuit community that, as some of us know, prevented the KKK from coming onto campus and beating Irish immigrants. However, now, when a student is different than the norm, they find no refuge on our 110 acres.
It has been four weeks since the Westword article concerning the harassment of homosexual students on campus was published. We have heard nothing from our administration concerning harassment, hate crimes, or being a decent person. There have been no revisions or discussions with students of the discrimination policy. We have heard nothing about the need to prevent hatred on this campus. Nor have we heard the Catholic Church's official teaching concerning homosexuality. This position was summarized by the US Confrence of Catholic Bishops when they wrote that, "the fundamental human rights of homosexual persons must be defended and that all of us must strive to eliminate any forms of injustice, oppression, or violence against them." The only place we have heard anything concerning the content of the Westword article is the "Of Mice and Students" article in last week's Highlander.
This past Friday there was an intentional attack against four residents in West Hall. The attacks occurred early Friday morning, and by 5:30 there was a response letter from the Director of Residence Life, Housing, and Events Services, Marie Humphrey. The letter was slipped under the doors of West Hall residents, and only lightly touches the need for residents to be decent human beings. She is correct in her analysis of the word "diversity" being tossed around lightly. Our administration has shown us that, but she also falls into the trap paying only lip-service to this ideal. Hate crimes however are still being tolerated this campus as we have seen in the disciplinary process of the last four weeks.
"The ultimate measure of a man" the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. tells us, "is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands in times of challenge and controversy." The past few years have shown that our school has not stepped up to the plate in time of challenge, but instead we have stood in the dugout waiting for others to lead.
"How ought we to live?" is a question posed to each of us as Regis students. It is the cornerstone of our Jesuit tradition as a community of dialogue, education and faith. The Jesuits tradition of challenging the norm, fighting for social justice and advocacy for the equality of all human beings is a challenge that Regis has overcome in the past, but now in a time of need, fails to be seen. It was the Regis Jesuit community that, as some of us know, prevented the KKK from coming onto campus and beating Irish immigrants. However, now, when a student is different than the norm, they find no refuge on our 110 acres.
It has been four weeks since the Westword article concerning the harassment of homosexual students on campus was published. We have heard nothing from our administration concerning harassment, hate crimes, or being a decent person. There have been no revisions or discussions with students of the discrimination policy. We have heard nothing about the need to prevent hatred on this campus. Nor have we heard the Catholic Church's official teaching concerning homosexuality. This position was summarized by the US Confrence of Catholic Bishops when they wrote that, "the fundamental human rights of homosexual persons must be defended and that all of us must strive to eliminate any forms of injustice, oppression, or violence against them." The only place we have heard anything concerning the content of the Westword article is the "Of Mice and Students" article in last week's Highlander.
This past Friday there was an intentional attack against four residents in West Hall. The attacks occurred early Friday morning, and by 5:30 there was a response letter from the Director of Residence Life, Housing, and Events Services, Marie Humphrey. The letter was slipped under the doors of West Hall residents, and only lightly touches the need for residents to be decent human beings. She is correct in her analysis of the word "diversity" being tossed around lightly. Our administration has shown us that, but she also falls into the trap paying only lip-service to this ideal. Hate crimes however are still being tolerated this campus as we have seen in the disciplinary process of the last four weeks.
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