{mosimage}TORONTO - A student government decision to ban support for anti-choice clubs on campus at Toronto鱿鱼视频app York University has left many Catholic and pro-life groups fearing they will be shut out of campus life.
{mosimage}TORONTO - Communication in the Catholic milieu is about bringing people together in friendship, says the newest Doctor of Divinity from .
York U. student council taken to task for lack of tolerance
By Carolyn Girard, The Catholic Register
TORONTO - A York University campus group has launched a formal complaint to the school about the York Federation of Students (YFS), which denied the group space to hold a debate on abortion in March.
In its complaint, under the York University Student Code of Ethics, the Students for Bioethical Awareness (SBA) also address its concern with the motion passed by the Canadian Federation of Students that promised support for any member union that would like to deny resources or space to pro-life student groups.
A spokesman for the SBA, which is not explicitly a pro-life group, said the York federation should not have had the right to prevent the debate from happening in the student centre. The SBA oraganizes debates and discussions on a variety of topics related to bioethics.
Although the university later gave the group an alternate space on campus for the debate, the SBA contends that having to go to a higher power was deplorable.
鈥淚 hope that the YFS and Gilary Massa will practise what they preach about with regards to tolerance because they don鈥檛 seem tolerant,鈥� said the spokesman. 鈥淲e are just an educational group.鈥�
In June, the federation unanimously voted to to deny resources and funding to student clubs or individuals 鈥渨hose primary or sole purpose is anti-choice activity.鈥�
Massa, vice president of the YFS, told The Catholic Register at that time the decision would not affect any club鱿鱼视频app ability, including the SBA, to apply for and gain club status. She said the debate was cancelled because it was offensive to many women, which followed the school government鱿鱼视频app mandate to work on an 鈥渁nti-oppressive framework鈥� and on serving minority communities.
However, the SBA is angry that students are 鈥渇orced to support an organization that (we) personally don鈥檛 support.鈥� Students are automatically charged $7.20 on top of their tuition each year by the CFS.
Theresa Matters, executive director of National Campus Life Network, said the administration needs to realize how negatively the CFS鱿鱼视频app decisions affect campuses.
There鱿鱼视频app a similar story brewing at Ottawa鱿鱼视频app bilingual Saint Paul University, where attempts to replace rector Fr. Dale Schlitt have foundered, again.
Marking the centennial of the archdiocese, Archbishop Raymond Roussin made his first visit to the Burnaby campus to lead the very first eucharistic procession from the interfaith centre to the hub of the campus in the Academic Quadrangle. Singing hymns throughout the procession, the elaborate entourage included a Knights of Columbus colour guard, several altar servers with incense and candles and more than 80 Catholics eager to give witness to the faith.
Monahan and two other professors 鈥� William J. Smyth and Janine Langan 鈥� were awarded with honorary doctorates, the Doctor of Sacred Letters.
The university鱿鱼视频app stance against the controversial display was that the GAP display 鈥渨ould likely trigger acts of violence鈥� and that by refusing to comply with the university, the pro-life group was trespassing on private property, said lawyer Paul Beke in a letter to CPL. The GAP campaign shows graphic images of the results of abortion, as well as pictures of the development of a fetus.
At a Nov. 26 press conference, Leah Hallman, president of CPL, said: 鈥淎rrest us, charge us, expel us, do what you want with these bodies of ours, but for every pro-lifer who suffers for the cause, perhaps, just perhaps, another life will be born into this world.鈥�
Yet, while only half a dozen of the 40 or more pro-life clubs on campuses across Canada have butted heads with their student unions, many are worried that the silencing of pro-life speech has expanded to a threat against freedom of speech in general.
For eight years, Prof. David Seljak has been teaching one of the most popular courses at . The course is often called . Ever since late in the summer of 2000 when Seljak covered campus lamp posts and bulletin boards with posters advertising 鈥淓vil鈥� in 240 point Arial Bold type, the religious studies professor has been able to attract as many as 1,000 students a year to his course. He often has to turn students away because he simply can鈥檛 fit any more into the lecture hall.
St. Jerome鱿鱼视频app president Fr. David Perrin would not comment on whether the formation of a union would be good or bad for the university.
鈥淭his is a labour relations issue. I can鈥檛 comment,鈥� he said.
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A press release issued Jan. 13 said the decision had been recommended by the college collegium at a special meeting the day before and was confirmed by Fr. Ken Decker, superior general of the Basilian Fathers, who founded the university. The new president鱿鱼视频app five-year term will be effective retroactive to July.
A press release issued Jan. 13 said the decision had been recommended by the college collegium at a special meeting the day before and was confirmed by Fr. Ken Decker, superior general of the Basilian Fathers, who founded the university. The new president鱿鱼视频app five-year term will be effective retroactive to July.
Choose Life McGill, the pro-life club at McGill University in Montreal, regained status Feb. 12, and Youth Protecting Youth, a club at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, rejoined the ranks of other ratified clubs Feb. 10.
The crisis at the Catholic liberal arts college affiliated with the University of Waterloo began with the mass resignation of the St. Jerome鱿鱼视频app chaplaincy team just before Christmas.