Silencing Information

The college I work for has found itself in a bit of a controversy. Currently the handbook has gender issues (sexual orientation) relegated to every part of the handbook (anti-harasment, etc.) except the anti-discrimination policy. That's right, if one works for Saint Joseph's College, the administration can at any time fire that person because of his/her sexual orientation. Another part of the discrimination at SJC is that any student-run group at SJC that deals with gender issues will be denied funding. That isn't the real controversy! Many in the faculty and among the students see the Neanderthal like policy for what it is and have started the process of changing the policy. The policy change was brought up in the Student-Life committee and voted to proceed. After the vote, the non-tenured faculty who brought up the issue were called into an administrator's office and told it would be better if they withdrew their suggestion and keep quiet about such issues lest they be fired. These faculty members brought the suggestion of the administration to the committee and declared in the minutes the egregious back-room dealings of the administration. The administration has essentially called for a silencing of ideas amongst the faculty. Fortunately, the faculty is in an uproar and the administration is claiming they are only doing what they have been told to do by the Bishop of the Lafayette Diocese, Bishop Higi, and the CPPS Provincial Director for the Cincinnati Province (which includes SJC), Fr. Angelo Anthony. This Wednesday the faculty had planned a meeting to discuss how an Academic Catholic institution is really a diverse place of discourse and learning. Many faculty who were slated to speak at the event have changed their position on the acceptance of the Roman-Catholic church to embrace diversity in an academic setting. There will be a board meeting this weekend too. Which, of course, Bishop Higi and Fr. Angelo are members. I wonder if anyone will be fired on the faculty and truly wonder what would happen if anyone found out that one of the top administrators at SJC is gay (don't ask me who. I won't say.)?

Silence will never let people hear the Holy Spirit working in communities nor will "firing" people. The Roman-Catholic church should have learned that from Martin Luther