Boston University students said they were surprised and disappointed at Acting President and Chancellor John Silber’s demand that BU Academy disband a gay-straight alliance group.
Silber told Academy Headmaster James Tracy to disband the group last week, the Associated Press reported. Tracy complied with his request.
The Academy is a private school located on the BU campus. Students have access to many University resources, such as weight rooms and the boathouse, Mugar and other libraries, and professors and graduate students in certain departments.
“It’s not really fair, it’s not his place,” said College of Arts and Sciences sophomore Ally Iram. “I don’t understand why he’d do that.”
The Academy has no need for such a group due to the open-mindedness of its students, according to BU spokesman Kevin Carleton.
“What we have accomplished in the Academy is an accepting and tolerant culture,” Carleton said. “And as we have succeeded, as we should have, there should be far less of a need to create a group that promotes tolerance or that focuses on sexuality.”
Carleton said the group’s focus on sexuality was unsuitable for the school, which educates students from eighth to twelfth grade.
“There are two elements involved in such organizations,” he said. “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.”
BU students, though, said most support groups do not focus on sexuality.
“Gay/lesbian groups are not about sex, they’re about identity,” said Randa Tantawi, a CAS sophomore. “If you’re not educating people, they’re getting wrong information about society.”
“High school is the time to figure out who you are,” said CAS sophomore Jeff Fisher. “To prevent that from happening as easily as possible is not a good idea.”
Victor Chao, a College of General Studies sophomore, said even if the group was discussing sexual topics, high school was the place to hold such discussions.
“Sexuality should be discussed in school, and high school is a good place to learn about it,” he said. “It’s better than friends or TV.”
Pouya Shahbodaghi, a CAS junior, said dissolving the group could lead to decreased tolerance.
“When you don’t discuss a thing it becomes taboo, and the more and more you don’t discuss and put a lid on it and make it secretive, prejudices come out and become uniform,” he said.
Several students said Silber’s decision was out of touch with current thought and practice.
“Nowadays everything’s pretty much open; you should be allowed to discuss any issue,” said College of Engineering sophomore Stephen Noel.
“Maybe [Silber] hasn’t realized times have changed,” said CAS sophomore Karolina Buzniak. “The school should accommodate to society, not his personal beliefs.”
“It’s not for one man to force his ethics on an entire community,” said CAS sophomore Randy Kramer.