c. 2007 Religion News Service
Compromise Allows Return of Cross to William and Mary Chapel
(RNS) The bronze cross in the chapel at the College of William and Mary, whose removal caused controversy last fall, has been returned to the campus chapel in Williamsburg, Va., under a compromise announced Tuesday (March 6).
The Committee on Religion in a Public University unanimously agreed to place the altar cross in a “prominent, readily visible place” in the Wren Building chapel. It will be displayed in a glass case accompanied by a plaque explaining the Anglican roots of the college.
The cross would be allowed on the altar during appropriate religious services, according to a statement by the Board of Visitors and William and Mary President Gene R. Nichol.
“We hope that this policy regarding the display of the Wren cross will put this immediate controversy to rest,” Alan J. Meese and James Livingston, co-chairs of the committee, said in a joint statement.
When the cross was removed last fall, critics accused the school of rejecting William and Mary’s heritage. One donor rescinded a $12 million pledge because of the controversy, the Associated Press reported.
“We knew our short-term mission was to come up with a proposal that would allow this college to come together and move forward as a community. We are confident this recommendation accomplishes that goal,” Meese and Livingston said.
Michael Powell, chairman of the Board of Visitors, said the controversy brought “further division among our broad university community” and called the division “unhealthy.”
Nichol, in an interview with the Washington Post, said the decision “recognizes both the history and tradition of the chapel and works to make it more open and welcoming to people of other faiths.”
_ Melissa Stee
Survey: Three-quarters of Americans Believe Moral Values Have Weakened
WASHINGTON (RNS) Three-quarters of Americans believe moral values in America have weakened in the last 20 years, and almost half think they have significantly weakened, according to a survey released Wednesday (March 7) by the Media Research Center.
“Today, Americans in general continue to believe in classic virtues like thrift, charity and honesty, but in their personal lives don’t necessarily practice those virtues,” said L. Brent Bozell III, president of the Alexandria, Va.-based center.
“America is becoming increasingly situational in its ethics and in its morals.”
The survey found that 74 percent of American adults said they believe moral values in the United States are weaker than they were two decades ago, while 48 percent said moral values were “much weaker.”
The study was conducted by the Alexandria-based polling firm Fabrizio, McLaughlin & Associates and the center’s Culture and Media Institute.
Sixty-eight percent of Americans surveyed said the media _ both entertainment and news _ have a detrimental effect on moral values. More specifically, 73 percent said entertainment media had a negative influence on moral values while 54 percent said the news media do.
Eighty-seven percent of Americans said they believe in God, while 36 percent agreed that people should always live by God’s principles and teachings.
Seeking a specific example of American ethics, researchers asked respondents what they would do if a restaurant check arrived at their table with items missing from the bill; 70 percent said they would inform the waiter and pay the correct amount, while 25 percent said they would pay the smaller tab.
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The Culture and Media Institute said the survey shows that respondents could be categorized into three “values groups” _ Orthodox, who see moral issues in “black and white, right vs. wrong”; Progressives, who see moral issues in “shades of gray”; and Independents, who do not fully agree with the values of either Orthodox or Progressives. These categories were determined based on respondents’ views on the role of religion in everyday life and not their political views, survey developers said.
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The results were based on 1,000 surveys of American adults ages 18 and older by telephone and 1,000 surveys completed online in December. It had an overall margin of error of plus or minus 2.2 percentage points.
_ Adelle M. Banks
Christian School Could Lose Contract Over Transgender Dispute
JACKSON, Mich. (RNS) A Michigan community college may sever contractual ties with a Christian college over its decision to fire a transgender professor.
Lansing Community College officials say Spring Arbor University’s treatment of Julie Nemecek violates their nondiscrimination policy, which applies to students, faculty and organizations the school contracts with.
Spring Arbor is under contract to be one of eight schools to offer classes at LCC’s new University Center in summer 2008.
An LCC spokeswoman said the college would wait to render a decision about Spring Arbor until after a mediation session between Spring Arbor and Nemecek. The former John Nemecek filed a gender discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
“We’re going to see what comes of that to find out if any law was violated and then go from there,” said LCC spokeswoman Tess Brown. “We have been asked by Spring Arbor to wait.”
Spring Arbor spokesman Tim Johnston said he could not confirm whether such a discussion between officials from the two schools took place.
“We know that it’s there, but it’s just something (President Gayle) Beebe hasn’t focused on,” Johnston said of the Lansing college’s diversity concerns.
Nemecek, 55, had been a professor at the Christian-based college for 16 years. When she announced she was transgender and would transition into a woman, officials docked her pay and reduced her responsibilities as associate dean of adult education.
Nemecek filed the federal complaint against the university for reducing her pay, making her work from home and banning her from appearing as a woman on campus.
_ Chad Livengood
Basketball, Beliefs Get Day in Court
(RNS) The Oregon Supreme Court on Monday (March 5) questioned whether the Oregon School Activities Association has done all it can to accommodate the religious beliefs of local Adventist basketball players.
During oral arguments in a packed lecture hall at Lewis & Clark College, justices questioned lawyers representing OSAA and students at Portland Adventist Academy about what standards should be established to accommodate students’ beliefs, which include not playing on Saturdays.
The justices also wanted to know why OSAA hasn’t enhanced its efforts to meet those needs during the state’s annual basketball championships.
“What it looks like, frankly, in the record, is that you’re not making any accommodations for this religious purpose but you’re making accommodations … for all sorts of secular purposes,” Justice Thomas Balmer said to OSAA’s attorney.
The court’s ruling could take months, and the decision is anticipated beyond Oregon.
Monday’s hearing focused on the wording of the state law prohibiting religious discrimination in education. Seventh-day Adventists observe the Sabbath from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. Students at the school haven’t played in the tournaments, when top-tier games often are held on Saturdays.
OSAA has not rescheduled tournament games because it said doing so is not in the best interests of fans, teams and the association.
Attorneys for OSAA and the Oregon Board of Education said the law is meant to ensure neutrality and should not provide special treatment for religious beliefs.
“I don’t think you can conclude that because it’s possible to accommodate _ albeit in a way that burdens others _ therefore you must accommodate to be reasonable,” said Jonathan Radmacher, the attorney who represented OSAA.
Charles Hinkle, arguing the case on behalf of the students and the American Civil Liberties Union, told the justices that it is OSAA’s obligation to meet the religious needs of students.
“If a reasonable accommodation can be made, then you almost draw the conclusion that, per se, it’s unreasonable not to accommodate it,” he said.
The debate began in 1996, when OSAA accommodated Portland Adventist students and they went on to win a state title. But OSAA changed its stance the next year, and the case went to U.S. District Court, where the school lost. The case later was filed in Oregon, and the state Court of Appeals has ruled in favor of the students twice.
_ Brad Schmidt
Quote of the Day: Eastern Mennonite University President Loren Swartzendruber
“We’re a people who don’t always talk a lot about our faith. But we do put it into action.”
_ Eastern Mennonite University President Loren Swartzendruber, in response to the Mennonite churches who offered their homes and prayers to mourning families at Bluffton University after a bus crashed carrying Bluffton baseball players to a game against Eastern Mennonite University, killing six people. He was quoted by the Associated Press.
KRE/PH END RNS
