Move indicates no need for tolerance

I was amazed yesterday afternoon to read in The Daily Free Press that our esteemed Chancellor and Acting President John Silber has decided that the goal of having “an accepting and tolerant culture” at the BU Academy had been accomplished. Check it off the list, and thanks, but we don’t need a Gay-Straight Alliance at the Academy anymore.

What a relief! I had always thought that the quest for tolerance and harmony amongst diverse groups of people was one of those things that people talked about but never really got done, you know? But John Silber tells me (through BU spokesman Kevin Carleton) that apparently there is no longer any need for “a group that promotes tolerance or that focuses on sexuality.” When he puts it like that, it sure does sound like a waste of time, doesn’t it? I look forward to forthcoming announcements on how we’ve conquered anti-Semitism, or racism, and the subsequent disbanding of those superfluous organizations like the Hillel House and AHANA. God knows we’ve got enough student groups on campus as it is, right?

Of course, I’m being a little sarcastic here. I’ve never witnessed any blatant sexual discrimination among my fellow students — but I’m not about to say that it has never, nor will ever happen. I think this quote from yesterday’s Free Press article is more than a bit telling (“Silber orders gay group cut,” Sept. 9, pg. 1):

“Carleton said the group’s focus on sexuality was unsuitable for the school, which educates students from eighth to 12th grade. ‘There are two elements involved in such organizations … One is the promotion of tolerance and the other is a focus on sexuality that we feel is inappropriate with the age range with which we are dealing.'”

Are these people serious? If it’s not appropriate to focus on and find support for your sexual identity as a teenager, when exactly IS it appropriate? (Not, it would seem, during your college years; as the administration’s stance on the guest policy last year should’ve made clear.)

I realize that after the BU endowment tanked last year, the administration is looking to slash as much costs as it can, but does a student outreach organization really take up that much of the University’s precious resources? I highly doubt it. There is, of course, no danger of Hillel or any of the other outreach organizations at BU being dropped — because they don’t talk about icky stuff like sex.

After over 25 years of dealing with young adults, I really would’ve expected John Silber to accept us as intelligent individuals capable of managing our own lives by now. But apparently, in his view, we don’t move past the fifth-grade maturity level until graduation or later. Until then we spend all our time thinking about having as much sex as possible.

Considering how little credit he affords BU’s college students, I guess it’s far from surprising to find out his views on the maturity of high school students. It is long past time for John Silber to get a grip on modern life and stop trying to impose his retroactive views on the student body.