Yesterday at Marquette University's 129th commencement, there were no visible signs of disharmony in the community over the Jodi O'Brien deanship controversy.
Talk of the Marquette family and its values was plentiful. All was well while celebrating the achievements of Marquette's graduates.
Disagreements were put aside for the day. However, they're obviously not forgiven or forgotten.
I give Marquette faculty credit for at least having the decency to wait until today to make its latest move against the university's decision.
How thoughtful! The 194 Marquette University and Seattle University faculty members waited less than 24 hours after the Class of 2010 degrees were conferred to condemn Marquette!
It must have been difficult to wait for Monday, but I suppose they saved money on their full-page ad by not buying space in the Sunday paper.
From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
In a full-page ad in Monday's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, dozens of faculty members at both Marquette University and Seattle University condemned Marquette's decision to rescind the offer made to Jodi O'Brien to serve as dean of the school's College of Arts and Sciences, and called on administrators to offer her the job again with an apology.
The ad was signed by faculty members representing many different departments spread throughout the universities.
In the statement, the faculty members condemned the involvement of the Milwaukee Archdiocese and "other outside influences" in this decision.
"We believe this action has caused significant harm to the reputation of Marquette University," the statement said. "It threatens our credibility and integrity as a university. It has caused suffering among students, alumni, staff, and faculty, and it will cost Marquette considerably in terms of community relationships, research, and recruiting and retaining students and faculty."
Marquette is a Catholic institution in Milwaukee.
The Archdiocese of Milwaukee deserves no condemnation in this matter.
Marquette isn't a public university. The faculty don't seem to get that.
...The statement released Monday also said that faculty felt the decision to rescind the offer to O'Brien "puts academic freedom at risk at Marquette University. We reject an intellectual 'litmus test' for our faculty, staff, and leaders in the administration."
Litmus test?
Oh, good grief.
There is absolutely no question that the university tolerates/encourages faculty members teaching material that is at odds with the Church.
Academic freedom isn't threatened by determining a candidate with extremely controversial writings is not the best choice to be a university leader.
In a way, the faculty are demanding their own litmus test. They are declaring that Marquette University should not be allowed to uphold its Catholic identity and mission. They are suggesting that the university should disregard moral standards of the Church when it comes to appointing the dean of its largest college, a high profile leadership position.
Would these same faculty members be bent out of shape like this if O'Brien promoted slavery in her writings or white supremacy?
Would they be defending her appointment as the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences in the name of academic freedom?
...The faculty members also made reference to the debate over the changing of the school's nickname for its sports teams. "We note with chagrin that while the administration encouraged the university community to discuss the name change of our basketball team for a full year, less than two weeks after this egregious action, which strikes at the heart of our functioning as a university, we were told it is time for 'healing' and 'moving on.' We will not be silent until the integrity of our university is restored."
There are irreconcilable differences here.
The faculty vow not to "be silent until the integrity of our university is restored."
To them, Marquette is currently a hotbed of discrimination and censorship.
Others believe that the decision on O'Brien has upheld the integrity of the university.
The question becomes: What is the heart of Marquette's mission?
This is a full-blown identity crisis for Marquette.
Will Catholicism be relegated to a back seat at the university?
3 comments:
Marquette is a Catholic Jesuit university. While the decision to rescind O'Brien's offer may have upheld its reputation with a certain factor of the Catholic community, it has certainly lost integrity as a university. This is not contestable. That Marquette be taken seriously as a university is important not only to the non-Catholic and non-theological faculty, but to the theologians who produce research from the perspective of the truth of the Gospel. To hurt the reputation of the university as a university hurts all of the faculty because Catholic or non-Catholic, they are all required to publish and make reputations among wide scholarly circles well beyond Marquette's halls. This is the sad truth of the devastating turn of events that could have been handled more delicately and sensitively on all sides.
I find this statement interesting:
"While the decision to rescind O'Brien's offer may have upheld its reputation with a certain factor of the Catholic community, it has certainly lost integrity as a university. This is not contestable."
What definitely is being contested is what it means to be a CATHOLIC university and how Marquette should carry out its mission.
Is it possible for Marquette to maintain its Catholic identity and integrity?
Mary, in response to your comment, I would add that I believe that the faculty and administration are currently arguing about what it means to be Catholic. I believe that Marquette is neither right-wing or left-wing-- it is Catholic and Jesuit. These are the precepts to which our university owes our allegiance. As a serious theologate, we want to produce research on the side of truth-- Pope John Paul II's Encyclical Letter, On Faith and Reason, tells us exactly what a Catholic institution is-- and since the 13th century, Rome has specifically decreed that we are subject to the rule of neither king nor bishop. This is precisely because university's must be free of Church regulation in order to insure that the research produced there is accepted within larger circles-- particularly the theological research. When the university's credibility erodes, we are hurt. Again, Catholic social teachings are what matter-- but it troubles me that these teachings are frequently put into service of left-wing or right-wing agendas when they are neither-- they are Catholic and Jesuit. In my humble opinion, we should stop worrying about conservative and liberal and start worrying more about being Catholic and Jesuit. Peace be unto you.
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