Some students at Trinity University in San Antonio, Tex. are asking that the phrase 'Our Lord' be struck from the school's diplomas, citing its religious exclusiveness.
The San Antonio Express-News reports:
The debate started last year when Isaac Medina, a Muslim convert from Guadalajara, Mexico, noticed the wording while looking at pre-made diploma frames in the Trinity bookstore. When Medina applied to Trinity, university staff told him it wasn't a religious institution and that it maintained only a historical bond to the Presbyterian Church.
So the godly reference "came as a big surprise," said Medina, who graduated in December. "I felt I was a victim of a bait and switch."
The school's president, Dennis Ahlburg, called the phrase "unobtrusive" and put the issue in larger context.
"The fundamental issue is not so much what is on the diploma. The fundamental question is, 'Is Trinity a place that is accepting and supportive of all faiths?'" Ahlburg said.
Current students are not Trinity's only stakeholders, Ahlburg said. The university also has thousands of alumni and donors to appease, many of whom have called Ahlburg to tell him they oppose the change.
"Democracy is not letting a small number of people have their way," Ahlburg said. "Democracy is listening to the different voices and making an informed decision."
What do you think?