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| Students want 'Our Lord' phrase off diplomas |
| 2010-03-30 |
| A group of students at Trinity University is lobbying trustees to drop a reference to "Our Lord" on their diplomas, arguing it does not respect the diversity of religions on campus. Egad! Somebody put a reference to "Our Lord" on a document from Trinity University? "A diploma is a very personal item, and people want to proudly display it in their offices and homes," said Sidra Qureshi, president of Trinity Diversity Connection. "By having the phrase 'In the Year of Our Lord,' it is directly referencing Jesus Christ, and not everyone believes in Jesus Christ." Qureshi, who is Muslim, has led the charge to tweak the wording, winning support from student government and a campus commencement committee. Trustees are expected to consider the students' request at a May board meeting. Other students and President Dennis Ahlburg have defended the wording, arguing that references to the school's Presbyterian roots are appropriate and unobtrusive. Founded by Presbyterians in 1869, Trinity has been governed by an independent board of trustees since 1969 but maintains a "covenant relationship" with the church. "Any cultural reference, even if it is religious, our first instinct should not be to remove it, but to accept it and tolerate it," said Brendan McNamara, president of the College Republicans. McNamara pointed out that Trinity displays other signs of its Christian heritage, including a chapel on campus, a chaplain, Christmas vespers and a Bible etching on the Trinity seal. "Once you remove that phrase, where do you draw the line?" McNamara asked. The debate started last year when Isaac Medina, a Muslim convert from Guadalajara, Mexico, noticed the wording while looking at pre-made diploma frames in the Trinity bookstore. When Medina applied to Trinity, university staff told him it wasn't a religious institution and that it maintained only a historical bond to the Presbyterian Church. So the godly reference "came as a big surprise," said Medina, who graduated in December. "I felt I was a victim of a bait and switch." At first, Qureshi and Medina sought a change only for students who desired it. But university staff told them the school would not print custom diplomas, so they requested dropping the words "Our Lord" from all diplomas issued. In January, the student government and the Muslim Student Association co-sponsored a forum to debate the issue. And in February, the Association of Student Representatives and the university's commencement and convocation committee both voted to support the change, Qureshi said. "I honestly feel like nobody actually noticed it before," Medina said. "Now that it has been brought up, the institution is trying to find its own identity. Are we or are we not a religious institution?" Though Trinity has historically enrolled mostly Anglo Christians, the university has taken pains to increase diversity in recent years. Since 1999, the share of international students has increased from 1 percent to 9 percent. Medina, a former international student, said he always has felt welcome at Trinity. The chaplain on campus caters to students of all religions, and the university recently dedicated a Muslim prayer space in Parker Chapel. "I never had the experience that Trinity was a closeted Christian institution," Medina said. Ahlburg, who took the helm in January, said Trinity should continue to foster a diverse environment but should not ignore its cultural and religious roots. "The fundamental issue is not so much what is on the diploma. The fundamental question is, 'Is Trinity a place that is accepting and supportive of all faiths?'" Ahlburg said. Current students are not Trinity's only stakeholders, Ahlburg said. The university also has thousands of alumni and donors to appease, many of whom have called Ahlburg to tell him they oppose the change. "Democracy is not letting a small number of people have their way," Ahlburg said. "Democracy is listening to the different voices and making an informed decision." |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #18 Some profs @ Boston College called for crosses to be removed from the classrooms, and the Jesuits told them to pound sand. BC was built because Harvard didn't admit Catholics. If the heathens don't like it they can build their own schools. |
| Posted by: regular joe 2010-03-30 19:39 |
| #17 Scripture says that in the last days "The Lord" will be standing at the door of churches (and I suppose Christian schools) knocking on the door, seeking to be let in. Just one more such place trying to give "The Lord" the boot. |
| Posted by: Elmaiger Hatfield7630 2010-03-30 18:32 |
| #16 "Here's a Sharpie, do it yourself." |
| Posted by: mojo 2010-03-30 14:02 |
| #15 This is what happens when faux indignation is paid attention to. As others have said the best out come here would be for the school to kick these ingrates out and not reimburse their tuition. Ha! |
| Posted by: Jefferson 2010-03-30 13:49 |
| #14 You hit the nail on the head Mullah. |
| Posted by: BrerRabbit 2010-03-30 11:50 |
| #13 Getting a degree from a Christian college, named specifically for one of the central doctrines of the faith isn't offensive, but seeing "Our Lord" displayed on the diploma from the same Christian college is? |
| Posted by: Cornsilk Blondie 2010-03-30 11:41 |
| #12 The straw that broke this ex Presbys faith was the contnued worship of one Frank Broyles who sits in a mansion in Louisville and writes editorials for the P magazine. His influence is unabated even after being removed as moderator by a more conservative general assembly. |
| Posted by: bman 2010-03-30 11:28 |
| #11 The answer here is simple, revoke their degrees and kick them out of school. They knowingly went to a Christian college, they don't get to change it. |
| Posted by: Silentbrick 2010-03-30 11:02 |
| #10 Though Trinity has historically enrolled mostly Anglo Christians, the university has taken pains to increase diversity in recent years. Since 1999, the share of international students has increased from 1 percent to 9 percent. I think I've found the problem... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2010-03-30 10:57 |
| #9 Are liberal Presbyterians still embracing the whole "Christianity" thing? Their general assembly has passed resolution for "carbon neutrality" (So I guess they won't be joining in the war against carbon anytime soon). To divest from Israel and the supporting "right of Palestinian return", with no mention of terrorism. Full support for Obamacare. Support aborted fetal tissue research. Called for members to not have guns in their homes. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2010-03-30 10:56 |
| #8 "Peacefull Jihad" against a school established by Christians. |
| Posted by: Elmaiger Hatfield7630 2010-03-30 10:31 |
| #7 This created some "heavy" discussion on one San Antonio radio station yesterday -- at least as I listened on the way home -- Trinity grads were calling in -- not in favor... |
| Posted by: Sherry 2010-03-30 10:31 |
| #6 Since they want the reference to Our Lord removed from their diplomas, they won't object when their names are not found in the Lord's Book of Life. "And if any one's name was not found recorded in the Book of Life he was thrown into the Lake of fire." (Revelation 20:15) |
| Posted by: Mullah Lodabullah 2010-03-30 08:29 |
| #5 "Qureshi, who is Muslim".......precisely where I stopped reading. Next please. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2010-03-30 07:20 |
| #4 Oh, c'mon you guys. You know that if minority Christian students attending school in a Muslim country demanded "In the Year of Our Lord" be included on their diplomas, they'd be accommodated in a heartbeat. Right? |
| Posted by: Gomez Threter7450 2010-03-30 02:22 |
| #3 Don't like it? Go somewhere else! Oh yeah, you're a liberal. I guess that means everyone else has to come to you. |
| Posted by: gorb 2010-03-30 02:13 |
| #2 And then a sophomore seminar on "San Antonio", the man and place name! |
| Posted by: Halliburton - Mysterious Conspiracy Division 2010-03-30 00:22 |
| #1 Remedial reading and history for these folks. The first word in Trinity University is Trinity. The second is University. Yikes! |
| Posted by: Halliburton - Mysterious Conspiracy Division 2010-03-30 00:21 |