Alright, now if you know me, you know that I'm not really much of an activist, but when something really bothers me, I am not afraid to say so. This is certainly one of those times.
I am a very strong supporter of the LGBTQ community, and as such, am not a huge fan of people who discriminate in general. If you are a discriminatory person, you should probably stop reading now. For real, stop reading.
This past year, a friend of mine (I shall not be using names) attended Concordia University in Nebraska: a private, Lutheran school that promotes a good, Christian education. Now, don't get me wrong, I have nothing against organized religion in general, and recognize the university's right to "create their own rules" as a private college with a religious affiliation; however, there has to be some kind of line that universities, even private ones, should not be allowed to cross (on moral grounds if for no other reason). Anyway, on to my moderately calm rage.
This friend of mine mentioned to me that some groups of students are not permitted to live on campus for reasons beyond his or her total control, if any control at all. Students, according to my source, are not permitted to live on campus if he or she is: pregnant, married, and to put the icing on the proverbial cake, homosexual. Now, I have neither confirmed nor denied this accusation toward the university, but if this is true, I believe that this particular rule is an extreme breach of the privacy of one's personal life. Now I understand that this school is attempting to promote a Christian community, but I personally know many Christians who identify as homosexual, and it doesn't affect their religious beliefs in the least.
Now, although the housing situation mentioned above has not been confirmed as of yet, it is stated in the student handbook/code of conduct (I will include an excerpt below), that a student can be punished for committing acts of homosexuality, another GROSS invasion of the student's privacy. Honestly, why is one's sexual activity such a topic of interest to the university. And who, if anyone, is a student harming in the process of being his or her own unique person. I was raised to believe that those who identify as homosexual are people, who just like anyone else, were created by God, and should not be discriminated for being different. How is this any different than discriminating someone based on his or her: race, gender, age, height, weight, or any other quality he or she cannot control?!
Excerpt from Concordia University's Student Handbook Code of Conduct:
2.03.B Conduct: Rules and Regulations
Any student found to have committed or to have attempted to commit the following misconduct is
subject to the disciplinary sanctions outlined in Section 2.04.B Sanctions** on page 78 for further
explanation of specific policies.
1. Acts of dishonesty, including but not limited to the following:
a. Cheating, plagiarism, or other forms of academic dishonesty.
b. Furnishing false information to any University official, faculty member, or office.
c. Forgery, alteration, or misuse of any University document, record, or instrument of
identification.
2. Disruption or obstruction of teaching, research, administration, disciplinary proceedings, other
University activities, including its public service functions on or off campus, or of other
authorized non-University activities when the conduct occurs on University premises.
3. Physical abuse, verbal abuse, threats, intimidation, harassment, coercion, and/or other conduct
which threatens or endangers the health or safety of any person, including oneself.
4. Attempted or actual theft of and/or damage to property of the University or property of a member
of the University community or other personal or public property, on or off campus.
5. Hazing, defined as an act which endangers the mental or physical health or safety of a student, or
which destroys or removes public or private property, for the purpose of initiation,
admission into, affiliation with, or as a condition for continued membership in, a group or
organization. The express or implied consent of the victim will not be a defense. Apathy
and/or acquiescence in the presence of hazing are not neutral acts; they are violations of this
rule.
6. Failure to comply with directions of University officials or law enforcement officers acting in
performance of their duties and/pr failure to identify oneself to these persons when
requested to do so.
7. Unauthorized possession, duplication or use of keys to any University premises.
8. Violation of any University policy, rule, or regulation published in hard copy or available
electronically on the University website.
9. Violation of any federal, state or local law.
10. Use, possession, manufacture, distribution or sale of illegal drugs or drug paraphernalia on
University premises or while on University business or at University activities, or in
University supplied vehicles either during or after working hours;
11. Unauthorized use or possession or manufacture, distribution, or sale of a controlled substance as
defined by the Federal Controlled Substances Act, 21 U.S.C. §§ 801 et seq., or Nebraska
Drug Control Laws, Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 28-401 et seq., on University premises, or while
engaged on University business or attending University activities, in University supplied
vehicles;
12. Possess or display alcohol containers on campus. Be intoxicated or impaired from the use of
alcohol (including on/off campus and/or during a University sponsored activity). Use, sell,
possess (or have in his/her physical control), manufacture, or distribute alcohol by any
person under 21 years of age on or off campus. No person shall sell, give away, dispose of,
exchange, or deliver, or permit the sale, gift, or procure alcohol, to or for any person under
21 years of age. (See also Section 1.07 *Alcohol)
13. Illegal or unauthorized possession of firearms, explosives, other weapons, or dangerous
chemicals on University premises or use of any such item, even if legally possessed, in a
manner that harms, threatens or causes fear to others.
14. Participating in an on-campus or off-campus demonstration, riot or activity that disrupts the
normal operations of the University and/or infringes on the rights of other members of the
University community; leading or inciting others to disrupt scheduled and/or normal
activities within any campus building or area.
15. Obstruction of the free flow of pedestrian or vehicular traffic on University premises or at
University sponsored or supervised functions.
16. Conduct that is disorderly, lewd, or indecent; breach of peace; or aiding, abetting, or procuring
another person to breach the peace on University premises or at functions sponsored by, or
participated in by, the University or members of the academic community. Disorderly
Conduct includes but is not limited to: Any unauthorized use of electronic or other devices
to make an audio or visual record and/or depiction of any person without his/her effective
consent when such a depiction is likely to cause injury or distress. This includes, but is not
limited to, surreptitiously taking pictures of another person in a gym, locker room, or
restroom, etc.
17. Sexual immorality including sexual misconduct; fornication; homosexuality; use and possession
of pornography, rape, sexual assault, non-consensual sex (Non-consensual sexual behavior
includes, but is not limited to, the implied use or threatened use of force to engage in sexual
activity against a person’s will and/or engaging in such behavior with a person who is
unconscious, substantially mentally impaired - including intoxication - intentionally
touching another person’s genitals, buttocks, or breasts without the person’s consent.), etc.
18. Unauthorized entry into a file, to use, read, or change the contents, or for any other purpose.
a. Unauthorized transfer of a file.
b. Use of another individual's identification and/or password.
c. Use of computing facilities and resources to interfere with the work of another student,
faculty member or University Official.
d. Use of computing facilities and resources to send obscene or abusive messages; and/or
engage in communications and behavior that put at risk the student or campus
community.
e. Use of computing facilities and resources to interfere with normal operation of the
University computing system.
f. Use of computing facilities and resources in violation of copyright laws.
g. Any violation of the University Computer Use Policy (Section 1.17 Computer Technology)
19. Abuse of the Student Conduct System, including but not limited to:
a. Failure to obey the notice from a Student Conduct Board or University official to appear for
a meeting or hearing as part o the Student Conduct System.
b. Falsification, distortion, or misrepresentation of information before a Student Conduct
Board.
c. Disruption or interference with the orderly conduct of a Student Conduct Board Proceeding.
d. Institution of a student conduct code proceeding in bad faith.
e. Attempting to discourage an individual's proper participating in, or use of, the student
conduct system.
f. Attempting to influence the impartiality of a member of a Student Conduct Board prior to,
and/or during the course of, the Student Conduct Board proceeding.
g. Harassment (verbal or physical) and/or intimidation of a member of a Student Conduct
Board prior to, during, and/or after a student conduct code proceeding.
h. Failure to comply with the sanction(s) imposed under the Student Code.
i. Influencing or attempting to influence another person to commit an abuse of the student
conduct cope system.
20. Students are required to engage in responsible social conduct that reflects discipline of students
based thereon.
21. Breach of Student Handbook regulations including Section 1, 2, and 3.
**Considerations
The following sanctions or any combination thereof may be imposed upon any student found to have
violated the Student Code. Also, in making the determination regarding the level of discipline
sanction to impose the following is to be taken into account:
• The disciplinary history of a given student during the entire time the individual has been a student at the University therefore past violations of the student may be shared with the Student Conduct Board and the Appellate Board,
• The breach of the University’s conduct policy,
• The individual student’s culpability and character,
• The precedent set for future, similar offences on campus,
• The public message conveyed regarding the policy of Concordia, and
• The impact of the behavior on the victim.
The entire handbook can be located at:
http://www.cune.edu/resources/docs/StudentLife/latest-student-handbook.pdf
Like I said, I may not be much of an activist, but I will stand up for what I believe in. And I believe that what this university is doing is wrong. Regardless of the religious affiliation of the school, it should not be considered acceptable to discriminate and potentially discipline someone for his or her sexual preference. I apologize to my readers for this rant, but I just had to get this off of my chest. If you disagree with some of the things I said, that is fine, everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion, I suppose.
(Also, if you haven't noticed yet, the titles of each of my blog posts is going to be a song that you should probably listen to, but that also gives an insight to how I feel about what I wrote)
Best Wishes!
I am a very strong supporter of the LGBTQ community, and as such, am not a huge fan of people who discriminate in general. If you are a discriminatory person, you should probably stop reading now. For real, stop reading.
This past year, a friend of mine (I shall not be using names) attended Concordia University in Nebraska: a private, Lutheran school that promotes a good, Christian education. Now, don't get me wrong, I have nothing against organized religion in general, and recognize the university's right to "create their own rules" as a private college with a religious affiliation; however, there has to be some kind of line that universities, even private ones, should not be allowed to cross (on moral grounds if for no other reason). Anyway, on to my moderately calm rage.
This friend of mine mentioned to me that some groups of students are not permitted to live on campus for reasons beyond his or her total control, if any control at all. Students, according to my source, are not permitted to live on campus if he or she is: pregnant, married, and to put the icing on the proverbial cake, homosexual. Now, I have neither confirmed nor denied this accusation toward the university, but if this is true, I believe that this particular rule is an extreme breach of the privacy of one's personal life. Now I understand that this school is attempting to promote a Christian community, but I personally know many Christians who identify as homosexual, and it doesn't affect their religious beliefs in the least.
Now, although the housing situation mentioned above has not been confirmed as of yet, it is stated in the student handbook/code of conduct (I will include an excerpt below), that a student can be punished for committing acts of homosexuality, another GROSS invasion of the student's privacy. Honestly, why is one's sexual activity such a topic of interest to the university. And who, if anyone, is a student harming in the process of being his or her own unique person. I was raised to believe that those who identify as homosexual are people, who just like anyone else, were created by God, and should not be discriminated for being different. How is this any different than discriminating someone based on his or her: race, gender, age, height, weight, or any other quality he or she cannot control?!
Excerpt from Concordia University's Student Handbook Code of Conduct:
2.03.B Conduct: Rules and Regulations
Any student found to have committed or to have attempted to commit the following misconduct is
subject to the disciplinary sanctions outlined in Section 2.04.B Sanctions** on page 78 for further
explanation of specific policies.
1. Acts of dishonesty, including but not limited to the following:
a. Cheating, plagiarism, or other forms of academic dishonesty.
b. Furnishing false information to any University official, faculty member, or office.
c. Forgery, alteration, or misuse of any University document, record, or instrument of
identification.
2. Disruption or obstruction of teaching, research, administration, disciplinary proceedings, other
University activities, including its public service functions on or off campus, or of other
authorized non-University activities when the conduct occurs on University premises.
3. Physical abuse, verbal abuse, threats, intimidation, harassment, coercion, and/or other conduct
which threatens or endangers the health or safety of any person, including oneself.
4. Attempted or actual theft of and/or damage to property of the University or property of a member
of the University community or other personal or public property, on or off campus.
5. Hazing, defined as an act which endangers the mental or physical health or safety of a student, or
which destroys or removes public or private property, for the purpose of initiation,
admission into, affiliation with, or as a condition for continued membership in, a group or
organization. The express or implied consent of the victim will not be a defense. Apathy
and/or acquiescence in the presence of hazing are not neutral acts; they are violations of this
rule.
6. Failure to comply with directions of University officials or law enforcement officers acting in
performance of their duties and/pr failure to identify oneself to these persons when
requested to do so.
7. Unauthorized possession, duplication or use of keys to any University premises.
8. Violation of any University policy, rule, or regulation published in hard copy or available
electronically on the University website.
9. Violation of any federal, state or local law.
10. Use, possession, manufacture, distribution or sale of illegal drugs or drug paraphernalia on
University premises or while on University business or at University activities, or in
University supplied vehicles either during or after working hours;
11. Unauthorized use or possession or manufacture, distribution, or sale of a controlled substance as
defined by the Federal Controlled Substances Act, 21 U.S.C. §§ 801 et seq., or Nebraska
Drug Control Laws, Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 28-401 et seq., on University premises, or while
engaged on University business or attending University activities, in University supplied
vehicles;
12. Possess or display alcohol containers on campus. Be intoxicated or impaired from the use of
alcohol (including on/off campus and/or during a University sponsored activity). Use, sell,
possess (or have in his/her physical control), manufacture, or distribute alcohol by any
person under 21 years of age on or off campus. No person shall sell, give away, dispose of,
exchange, or deliver, or permit the sale, gift, or procure alcohol, to or for any person under
21 years of age. (See also Section 1.07 *Alcohol)
13. Illegal or unauthorized possession of firearms, explosives, other weapons, or dangerous
chemicals on University premises or use of any such item, even if legally possessed, in a
manner that harms, threatens or causes fear to others.
14. Participating in an on-campus or off-campus demonstration, riot or activity that disrupts the
normal operations of the University and/or infringes on the rights of other members of the
University community; leading or inciting others to disrupt scheduled and/or normal
activities within any campus building or area.
15. Obstruction of the free flow of pedestrian or vehicular traffic on University premises or at
University sponsored or supervised functions.
16. Conduct that is disorderly, lewd, or indecent; breach of peace; or aiding, abetting, or procuring
another person to breach the peace on University premises or at functions sponsored by, or
participated in by, the University or members of the academic community. Disorderly
Conduct includes but is not limited to: Any unauthorized use of electronic or other devices
to make an audio or visual record and/or depiction of any person without his/her effective
consent when such a depiction is likely to cause injury or distress. This includes, but is not
limited to, surreptitiously taking pictures of another person in a gym, locker room, or
restroom, etc.
17. Sexual immorality including sexual misconduct; fornication; homosexuality; use and possession
of pornography, rape, sexual assault, non-consensual sex (Non-consensual sexual behavior
includes, but is not limited to, the implied use or threatened use of force to engage in sexual
activity against a person’s will and/or engaging in such behavior with a person who is
unconscious, substantially mentally impaired - including intoxication - intentionally
touching another person’s genitals, buttocks, or breasts without the person’s consent.), etc.
18. Unauthorized entry into a file, to use, read, or change the contents, or for any other purpose.
a. Unauthorized transfer of a file.
b. Use of another individual's identification and/or password.
c. Use of computing facilities and resources to interfere with the work of another student,
faculty member or University Official.
d. Use of computing facilities and resources to send obscene or abusive messages; and/or
engage in communications and behavior that put at risk the student or campus
community.
e. Use of computing facilities and resources to interfere with normal operation of the
University computing system.
f. Use of computing facilities and resources in violation of copyright laws.
g. Any violation of the University Computer Use Policy (Section 1.17 Computer Technology)
19. Abuse of the Student Conduct System, including but not limited to:
a. Failure to obey the notice from a Student Conduct Board or University official to appear for
a meeting or hearing as part o the Student Conduct System.
b. Falsification, distortion, or misrepresentation of information before a Student Conduct
Board.
c. Disruption or interference with the orderly conduct of a Student Conduct Board Proceeding.
d. Institution of a student conduct code proceeding in bad faith.
e. Attempting to discourage an individual's proper participating in, or use of, the student
conduct system.
f. Attempting to influence the impartiality of a member of a Student Conduct Board prior to,
and/or during the course of, the Student Conduct Board proceeding.
g. Harassment (verbal or physical) and/or intimidation of a member of a Student Conduct
Board prior to, during, and/or after a student conduct code proceeding.
h. Failure to comply with the sanction(s) imposed under the Student Code.
i. Influencing or attempting to influence another person to commit an abuse of the student
conduct cope system.
20. Students are required to engage in responsible social conduct that reflects discipline of students
based thereon.
21. Breach of Student Handbook regulations including Section 1, 2, and 3.
**Considerations
The following sanctions or any combination thereof may be imposed upon any student found to have
violated the Student Code. Also, in making the determination regarding the level of discipline
sanction to impose the following is to be taken into account:
• The disciplinary history of a given student during the entire time the individual has been a student at the University therefore past violations of the student may be shared with the Student Conduct Board and the Appellate Board,
• The breach of the University’s conduct policy,
• The individual student’s culpability and character,
• The precedent set for future, similar offences on campus,
• The public message conveyed regarding the policy of Concordia, and
• The impact of the behavior on the victim.
The entire handbook can be located at:
http://www.cune.edu/resources/docs/StudentLife/latest-student-handbook.pdf
Like I said, I may not be much of an activist, but I will stand up for what I believe in. And I believe that what this university is doing is wrong. Regardless of the religious affiliation of the school, it should not be considered acceptable to discriminate and potentially discipline someone for his or her sexual preference. I apologize to my readers for this rant, but I just had to get this off of my chest. If you disagree with some of the things I said, that is fine, everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion, I suppose.
(Also, if you haven't noticed yet, the titles of each of my blog posts is going to be a song that you should probably listen to, but that also gives an insight to how I feel about what I wrote)
Best Wishes!
