CAMPUS

Re: Education First, Saving the World Later

CJ,
It may seem to a spectator at first glance that you and I have a lot of disagreement based on what we have said, but of course, everything I said was pertaining to a private, religious institution, which you exempted.

I do want to clarify a few things based on what you have now said. You call for “Education First, Saving the World Later.” This is exactly what the Society of Jesus holds as it as ideal, as well. The criteria for success is how the graduates of such an institution have changed the world; the university’s goal remains education. The university itself doesn’t change the world by charitably giving to another organization or whatnot, as nice as that may be. The university would be more charitable if it saved that money and reduced tuition (BC, are you listening?) or improved the education it offered. Boston College engages, therefore, in such practices which are clearly for the good of others but not necessarily tied to its mission as a university, such as helping save a local Catholic grammar school.

One thing I wanted to add, CJ, is that even at Boston College we have the problem of professors abusing their power. “On the other end of the spectrum are the professors who use their classrooms as little more than a recruiting ground for their vision of social justice or morality or whatever.” Our problem, however, is an interesting one. Since we are a religious institution, people are expecting to be educated in the Catholic tradition. The people responsible for educating in the Catholic tradition sometimes abuse that power. One professor publicly said that the bishops abused their power when they said that Catholics cannot vote for Obama, and then misapplied theology to explain why the bishops were wrong. (They weren’t, for those out there who aren’t Catholic theologians.) Another was one of biggest advocates for gay marriage in the state. Another published a piece advocating for divorce a few years back. Another was one of the leading spokesmen for starving Terri Schiavo, which was also against Church teaching. All claim to be Catholic theologians.

What does a university do when people like Professor Hunt and these four abuse their power, especially when they have tenure?