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Dublin Core
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Title
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History of the GSA
Text
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To the Editor:
The subject of a GALA chapter on this campus has been the topic of much debate over the past few weeks. I would like to point out several of the many issues contained in this debate as well as express some of my own opinions on these issues as they relate to the Ursinus campus. The issues include: the issue of the appropriateness of the letter written by John Ronning printed in the October 12 issue of The Grizzly; the issue of the rights of a special interest group versus the rights of the campus; the issue of whether the recognition of GALA by the college is in the college's best interest; and finally the issue of whether the system of decision making within the institution of Ursinus College has allowed a democratic decision regarding GALA's charter.
The initiation of the heated debates was the letter by Mr. Ronning. Many of the objections to the letter did not concern his message but his vulgarity. Other concerns was its appropriateness for the newspaper and the question of whether a faculty member should become so vocally involved in such issues. I am sure that most would agree that vulgarity has been and still is acceptable in The Grizzly. One example of this is the horoscope column that most upper-classmen will remember as "Lucinda's column." I am also sure that the majority of the campus understand that freedom of the press allows anyone, including professors, to honestly express their feelings. Nobody has, to my knowledge, condemned Dr. Oboler for becoming involved.
Another issue involved is the larger scale interest of gay rights. I personally believe that homsoexuals have all the rights of heterosexuals. Many of the editorials in The Grizzly indicate that Mr. Ronning's statements have been interpreted as hate for homosexuals. I believe they are correct in detecting hate in his tone; however, I interpret this hate as a hate for the practices not for the people invovled. Furthermore, there is an equal or greater amount of hate found in the letter representing GALA. This letter calls Mr. Ronning a lunatic and states that anyone who fails to condemn him is using the "meager excuse" that he has a right to such an opinion. In this way GALA is denying people the right to be intolerant of certain special interest groups. Mr. Ronning was not attacking the rights of homosexuals. He was protecting the right of the people who would potentially be counseled by GALA to hear both sides giving them the ability to make an informed decision.
Another issue is that of whether GALA should have been recognized as a campus organization. This recognition involved the passing of their constitution by SAC, now called AFAC. This approval was given on Octboer 18, 1991, by a vote of six to two with one member abstaining and four members absent from the group. In my opinion, there are some legitimate objections to recognizing such a group. There is no doubt that this group has a right to go off campus to conduct their activities. However, Ursinus is a private school which has declared itself "related to the United Church of Christ" in the school catalog. The school does not have any obligation to sponsor a group that would contradict the morals on which the school was founded.
The last issue invovled is one that particularly stirkes me as important. This is the atmosphere of intimidation I have recently detected on this campus. As Margot Kelley stated, faculty and staff have a certain "undeserved credibility." The opinion section of The Grizzly is an appropriate form of expression for faculty and staff to express opinions. However, I believe that the classroom and other formal group meetings are not appropriate places for faculty to make statements of their beliefs unless the purpose is to stimulate thought or discussion. I have heard negative comments about Mr. Ronning in both of these situations. I have also heard more than one case of residents assistants who are afraid to voice their opinion on this issue as well as other issues because of what they think their supervisors might think or say. The environment is an intellectual one leading to independent decisions. I feel that the recent atmosphere on campus has not been promoting such individual decision making.
I am confident that in the future, issues such as these will be handled more civilly so that biases on campus will not prevent communiton of valuable opinions.
Donna Lorenzo
Class of 1992
Dear Editor:
At the conclusion of their recent letter, the GALA executive committee urged readers to 'send a message to closed-minded, bigoted, extremist, fanatical, narrow, prejudiced, intolerant zealots on this campus and beyond." This fervent appeal was part of their retaliation for a letter from John Ronning in which he expressed disgust for certain filthy homosexual activities and questioned the value of GALA as an instrument for helping students resolve sexual identity problems. Moved by their appeal, I am offering the following as a message to them and the other "closed-minded etcetera" critics of John Ronning who directed their "vile diatribe" cf., anti-Ronning letter from Ron Hess) at him in the November 19 issue of the Grizzly.
1. I have known John Ronning for several years and I admire his honesty, courage, and professional competence. If "homophobe" is intended to denote somone who fears homosexuality or homosexuals, that term certainly cannot accurately be applied to him. On the other hand, the storm of hate filled epithets that fill the letters of his critics, cause me to wonder whether he has cared up a horde of "Ronnophobes."
2. Of course, John offered no "scientific reasoning" (cf. Ronnophobic letter from Dr. Margot Kelley) to prove that the activities described in his letter are disgusting. Science is an effort to understand the physical universe by constructing a logical analog that appeals to the human intellect. Moral principles transcned science and can't be derived from it. Of course, none of the Ronnophobic letters offered either scientific evidence that active homosexuality is a wholesome lifestyle nor a sequence of logical steps that lead from some aspect of the physical universe to the conclusion that those with homsoexual inclinations shouldn't seek help in overcoming them.
For thousands of years, we have had a written moral code to reinforce the code (natural law) built into us by our Creator. Those who accept that code as a reliable guide to moral behavior are, in my opinion, on the right rack.
3. Robert Dawley's letter implies that John's expression of revulsion for the disgusting activities of some homosexuals was an act of "cruelty" motivated by "hatred." John Ronning is honest, and sometimes blunt, but never hateful or cruel.
In their use of epithets such as "fundamentalist right-wink kooks." the authors of the Ronnophobic letters show a shameful acceptance of left-wing stereotyping of supporters of traditional Juedo-Christian morality. They seems to regard their own outrage as unassailibly righteous and their target as self-righteous. When they employ the term "diversity" in the context of an effort to intellectually intimidate somone with a different viewpoint, I am left with the distinct impression that the word is a euphemism for liberal academic and moral orthodoxy.
Sincerely
Douglas Nagy
_____
Dear Editor
If Toni Castells-Talens' letter to The Grizzly (November 19) results in the creaton of a new student organizaiton HPH (Homophobic-Phobic Hetersexuals), I hereby offer my services as Faculty Advisor.
Cordially,
Juan Espadas
Chairperson
Department of Modern Languages
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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"GALA Responses: The Controversy Continues," December 10, 1991
Subject
The topic of the resource
Ronning's letter and GALA
Description
An account of the resource
Studnets and faculty offer their support for Mr. Ronning and one rebuke.
Creator
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Donna Lorenzo, Douglas Nagy, Juan Espadas
Source
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The Grizzly
Publisher
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Ursinus College
Date
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December 10, 1991
Espadas
GALA
Lorenzo
Nagy
Ronning
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
History of the GSA
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Text
Any textual data included in the document
To the Editor:
We are writing in support of John Ronning's letter in the November twelfth issues of the Grizzly concerning GALA. We believe that Mr. Ronning made an excellent point that students confused about their sexuality should not be counseled by people who are going to push them towards homosexuality. He makes a generous offer to put people confused about their sexuality in touch with a group offering another point of view.
The remarks he made concerning certain aspects of the homosexual lifestyle, while vulgar, may not hold true for all homosexuals; however, those riturals are indeed a part of the gay culture. Some of us have heard about these practices from people we know are homosexual. We know Mr. Ronning's letter outraged large numbers of the faculty, staff, and student body. [sic] some have personally attacked his character and others have questioned his employment here at Ursinus. If we are to be open minded about accepting homosexuals, why should we be disgusted by someone holding a different opinion?
Brian Toleno
Dennis Cunningham
Jeanine Schiano
Dhinesh Samuel
Jamiel Ambrad
Rich Ingenito
Donna Lorenzo
Jamie Adam
Rebecca Carreon
Gregory P. Cuculino
___________________
In response to Mr. J. Ronning's opinon: November 12, 1991.
It seems such a shame that a professor at a liberal arts college, whose patience and guidance should be focused on preparing young minds for the future, could be so ignorant and closed minded. Haven't we, as a culture, progressed to the point where people that are different can be acepted without question, critisism, or controversy?
Someone should delicately explain to Mr. Ronning that diversity among people has existed since the beginning of time. All people have their sexual preferences. Some, like myself, prefer heterosexuality, others homosexuality, others bisexuality. Still others practice bizarre forms of heterosexuality. Should heterosexuals who indulge in sodomy or "golden showers" also be ostracized for partaking in what they enjoy? Do you judge a man by his sexual preference? If your response Mr. Ronning is yes, then I am ashamed that you are a representative of the college that I attend.
Do you really expect, Mr. Ronning, that your tirade will prevent homosexual tendencies among a group that already prefers that type of sexuality? That was clearly the intention of your opinion. I do not believe for a single moment that you intended to "save" gays from future health problems by presenting them with another group that might talk them out of homosexuality. The intention of your verbal lashing was simply to embarrass and shame, not help. GALA was initiated to give homosexuals an outlet that could be found nowhere else. Its secrecy is vital simply to prevent protest by the uninformed and prying members of this campus. You took an organization, with which you had no concern, and rake it over the coals simply because your views are not in harmony with it. Mr. Ronning, the right to privacy is inherent to existence of all men. In the future, please try to work out your own sexual frustrations by not criticizing others whose happiness you obviously envy.
George Yacoubian
Class of 1992
_____________________
Letter to the Editor:
I'm upset about this whole GALA thing. I'm on the Student Activities Committee, (or as it is not called AFAC) so I had to vote on whether or not to pass the GALA constitution. After two special meetings and weeks of debate, constitution was passed. And I was one of the people who voted for this group. Once I had throught the whole thing through I couldn't find a good reason not to vote for GALA. I even took time out at a conference I went to, to go to educational sessions on homophobia I did this to sort out my personal feelings and to find out what other colleges are doing about this. Now, I'm not so sure I did the right thing.
This whole situation is becoming petty. While everyone is entitled to his/her opinion, the letters back and forth in the Grizzly are getting ridiculous! The GALA constitution has been passed both by SAC and the faculty. This campus has to accept that fact. When I voted "yes" for this group, I felt good. I thought this group could do some good at Ursinus. But all I've seen so far is petty articles in the Grizzly and slander to a newspaper staff member. In her Oct. 22 article, Melisa Miller wrote about the proposal of GALA and some students' reactions to this group. All of her information came from the SAC meeting that she was invited to. Melisa Miller's article was neither for nor against GALA, it was just to introduce the idea to the student population. It did just that! I have now read two articles in the Grizzly critisizing this article. One by Michael Cyr, a member of GALA, and the most recent one, by Dr. Regina Oboler, the faculty advisor to GALA. This really upsets me! Do something better with your time to help Ursinus instead of defending yourselves against imagined slander. You are disappointing me and I am a hetersexual who has some good ideas that could help you get your club started and involved on campus.
Robin Stankiewicz, 1993
______________________
Dear Mr. Ronning,
After reading your letter, I hope you do not call me mentally ill or perverted if I publicly declare myself "homophobic-phobic."
Sincerely,
Antoni Castells-Talen '91
Homophobic-Phobic Hetersexual
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
"Students React to Ronning," November 19, 1991
Subject
The topic of the resource
Ronning's letter on GALA.
Description
An account of the resource
Various students offer support for, and condemnation of, Ronning's letter.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Brian Toleno, Dennis Cunningham, Jeanine Schiano, Dhinesh Samuel, Jamiel Ambrad, Rich Ingenito, Donna Lorenzo, Jamie Adam, Rebecca Carreon, Gregory P. Cuculino; George Yacoubian; Robin Stankiewiez; Antoni Castells-Talens
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
The Grizzly
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Ursinus College
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
November 19, 1991
Adam
Ambrad
Carreon
Cuculino
Cunninghan
homosexuality
Ingenito
lifestyle
Lorenzo
preference
Ronning
Samuel
Schiano
Stankiewicz
Talens
Toleno
Yacoubian