Monday, February 25, 2008

Our Catholic Universities - a Mess....

Life at a Catholic University today is what this article addresses over at the InsightScoop.

Read on for the ugly details...

"Where have the Jesuits gone?"

A February 22nd editorial in The Hoya, the newspaper "of record" at Georgetown University, wonders how it is that a Jesuit university lacks a Jesuit identity:
And maybe this is what the university wanted. On a symbolic level, Jesuit ideals began to depart when the Jesuits moved from their old residence in the traditional heart of campus to a newer one far away from the center of activities. And their old building was left to rot into oblivion in much the same way the memory of their significance decays today.


The truth is, Georgetown doesn’t need a Jesuit at the helm in order to maintain its Jesuit tradition. Even without a Jesuit president, we think the Jesuits should be consulted on policy changes and asked for their unique perspective to help solve campus problems. The Jesuits should also be consulted more on social issues.

This editorial may seem a little hypocritical after we wrote last week how Georgetown should allow the sale of birth control on its campus — we stand by that claim because we believe that being a Jesuit school hasn’t and will never mean simply “Catholic,” or worse, “conservative.” It means that the Jesuits should be leaders in steering the course of the school, not pushed to the side by administrators and faculty. It means openness to ideas, to thinking and to trust. We think it means remembering to lead reasonably, allowing students to control their destinies without hiding behind confining and condescending regulations. It means recognizing that every activity and interaction is an opportunity to learn about the world and not a reason to form a committee or chance to put students in their place.
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I say there are still some good ones out there, though hard to find. Steubenville in Ohio is one and the new John Paul the Great University in San Diego is another.

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