Saturday, January 26, 2008

More On SLU: Bishop, Jesuit, Coach, Abortion, Basketball and the Vagina Monologues

Joe Adorjan was on SLU's Board of Trustees when the school sold its hospital to Tenet Healthcare in 1998 over the adamant objections of then-Archbishop Justin Rigali. Still a member of the SLU board today, Adorjan said he would be surprised if the school decided to punish Majerus. Speaking for himself, Adorjan said he does not think Majerus should be disciplined.
"My personal view is that he is an employee of the university and the university is run by a lay board," he said. "I think that's the coach's personal opinion and he's totally entitled to his personal opinion, as would be any employee of any other organization."
SLU identifies itself as a Catholic institution, but neither Burke nor any religious creed has direct control over the school.
While SLU often proudly states its Jesuit tradition, less than 3 percent of its faculty members or staff is Jesuit, and less than half of its students identify themselves as Catholic.
In a speech in 2006 accepting the Citizen of the Year award, which is sponsored by the Post-Dispatch, Biondi said SLU welcomes everyone, regardless of their religious beliefs, race or sexual orientation.
"On our campus, we encourage competing ideas and ideologies," he said. "Sometimes that means hosting speakers, events or plays that some may find inappropriate on a Catholic college campus. But as soon as censorship begins at any university, where does censorship then end?"
Despite the protests of some Catholic groups, the school has held the controversial play the "Vagina Monologues," with its frank discussion of homosexuality, on campus. But last year, administrators refused to sponsor the play, so it was performed off-campus.
Link (here)

No comments: