The university said it will create a student organization that will offer support and services to GLBTQ students and form an advisory committee to provide guidance on such matters.
There has been some backlash from some Catholic groups that are anti-gay, but it is engouraging that despite that, the university is creating these services. In a time when the gay community is becoming more and more accepted, it is great to see that even strong catholic institutions can accept that change is necessary.
4 comments:
I feel that this is a really positive thing that Notre Dame is doing. The school is making all of its students feel comfortable despite religious different beliefs. I feel that every college needs to make their students feel as welcome and comfortable in their environment as possible and Notre Dame is definitely helping set the tone for other colleges to follow.
I agree with Addy. No one deserves to be forced into hiding or shamed because of who they are, and it is wonderful that even a school associated with such harsh and critical ideas about the gay community is taking steps to become more inclusive and safe for all.
I do wonder how those who donate money to Notre Dame will react, however--I can't speak for them, obviously, but it seems like there may be some roadblocks to face if big supporters of the school are not in favor of this course of action. Let's hope no such obstacles become issues!
I think Eavan brought up a really good point about the donors. I could foresee some catholic, right wing donors who do not agree with such services yanking their donations to the university. However, I wonder if Notre Dame even needs their donations though, considering the steep tuition fees. Knowing how religious some students at Notre Dame are, I am surprised at the new services for gay students. Considering that Notre Dame is the mecca of catholic schools, perhaps schools such as Boston College will follow suit and start offering gay student services as well. It will be interesting to see how donors and key legacy's will react, if at all. Maybe they've seen this coming for a while and have virtually no opposition to such services but aren't outspoken supporters for it.
As Eavan and Sam said, I think the potential loss of socially conservative donors presents the possibility of a roadblock to the school financially. However, that being said, I also think that other potential donors who are in support of Notre Dame's services for the GLBTO might either increase their donations if they are already making financial contributions to the school, or begin donating money as a result of their actions. Further, similar to how many individual state programs are used as essential "guinea pigs" for national government legislation, I think it will also be interesting to see how other catholic schools nationwide change their own support or services for the GLBTO, if at all.
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