In the chaos that followed the Civil War, Trinity University in San Antonio, Tex., was founded by the Cumberland Presbyterians in 1869. These Presbyterians were Calvinists who believed that education was vital to advancing a society.
Fast-forward 141 years and this small liberal arts college of about 2,500 undergrads is under attack by a Muslim-led organization that has requested the removal of the words “In the Year of Our Lord” from the diplomas earned by their graduates.
For those interested in the specifics here’s a snippet from Trinity’s press release:
A Trinity University student group – the Trinity Diversity Connection – and other students are seeking to change the language on diplomas issued to graduates. The certificates list the year of graduation, which is preceded by the phrase “In the year of our Lord.” Some students – but not all – want that phrase stricken from future diplomas.
The TDC’s (Trinity Diversity Connection) president is Sidra Qureshi, a Muslim. Mr. Qureshi was “tipped off” to the diploma issue by another Muslim student, Isaac Medina, who graduated in December of 2009 but now has told the press that he’s a upset. “I felt I was a victim of a bait and switch.”
Wait, what? Mr. Medina… you are playing the victim card because it took you four years to realize that you were attending a school founded by a religious group? Did they hide the name “Trinity” from you during those years? Was the annual Christmas Vespers ceremony held in a secret location and told to only those who had the taken the Christian Kool-Aid? How could you not know about the history of the school until you were about to graduate?
It should also be pointed out that the wording on the diplomas says “in the year of our Lord” – it does not say “in the year of your Lord.” Additionally, 70% of Trinity’s student body describe themselves as Christian, while 0.6% claim to be Muslims. Is the tail wagging the dog here? Why not change the name of the school itself to Triangle University?
(Full Disclosure: I attended Trinity University from 1975-79, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Speech and Drama and and an Inter-disciplinary Degree in Mass Communications. I was also the Vice President of Students in my senior year.)
During my time on Trinity’s hillside campus I was not particularly active in organized religion. In fact, the majority of time I spent inside the grounds of the Marguerite Parker Chapel complex had more to do with Frisbee retrieval(1.) than anything else. And I certainly did not feel any sort of god was being foisted upon me in any manner that could be construed as offensive. In fact, during my first weeks in the Fall of 1975, it was explained more than once to our Freshman groups that Trinity was non-denominational. There were historical connections to the Presbyterian Church, but this was not a religious school by any stretch of the imagination. Religion classes were not required, P.E. yes, religion, no. (If you wanted God in your college curriculum, San Antonio offered St. Mary’s University and Our Lady of the Lake.)
Of course Trinity feels that it has a choice to make – to bend to the current groundswell of anti-religious sentiment that is sweeping the country or they can stand their ground. I offer a few different solutions:
- Remove the words “in the year of our Lord” and also stop accepting any monies that carry the phrase “In God We Trust.” And I mean stop accepting these tainted dollars for tuition, books, and food… ban this patently offensive tender until such time as it is repaired. (Students whose parents dare send this kind of money to their children or to the school must also be warned and threatened if necessary.)
- Offer a “God-Free” diploma experience – We know who’s going to graduate well in advance of the big day, so let those who want to be godless pay for the privilege. For an extra $50 bucks – god’s gone and you can relax!
- Simply replace the words “in the year of our Lord” with the Latin phrase Anno Domini. It will be another decade or so before the Politically Correct Police figure that one out.
- And finally, if the school bends to the pressure of the “diversity” patrol, why not go all the way and insist on a complete purge of religion, requiring that the school be moved out of San Antonio? Any mildly bi-lingual person knows that San Antonio is just religious fanatic jargon for St. Anthony — the patron saint of lost things.
As a proud alum of Trinity I have written to the University via the school’s Facebook page expressing my thoughts regarding this issue to be decided at an upcoming Board of Trustees meeting in May. I encourage all of you sensible people to do likewise.