Trinity University’s board of trustees announced Thursday they will not grant a student group’s request to drop the phrase “our Lord” from diplomas, saying that while Trinity welcomes all religions, it is right to honor its Christian roots.
“The board’s decision reflects its desire to continue a Trinity tradition, and the words ‘in the year of our Lord’ are appropriate for the diploma, given Trinity’s history and heritage,” said Walter Huntley, vice chairman of the board and an Atlanta businessman.
The Trinity Diversity Connection, which requested the phrasing be dropped, issued this statement:
TDC “respects the decision the board of trustees made and appreciates their time and concern on this issue. While this was not the decision many of us were hoping for, we realize that this is a complicated issue. (TDC) will continue to represent, and advocate for, diversity on our campus.”
Trinity was founded in 1869 by Presbyterians; its name signfies joint efforts of three Presbyterian synods in the name of the Holy Trinity. Since 1969, the university has been governed by an independent board of directors, maintaining a “covenant relationship” with the church.
In the past decade, school officials have sought to diversify the student body, recruiting more international students and fostering a campus environment that’s accepting of all backgrounds and faiths.
The TDC requested last year that officials drop the reference to “our Lord” from diplomas, arguing that a degree is a personal document and that not all students believe in Jesus Christ.
The student government and a commencement committee backed the TDC’s request, but university and diversity group leaders encountered a national backlash after the San Antonio Express-News ran a story on the debate that was picked up by news outlets around the country.
School officials received a flood of calls and e-mails, most opposing changing the diploma. Because the two students who sparked the debate are Muslim, some readers framed it as a battle between Islam and Christianity and lobbed personal insults at the students.
“A lot of it was very vicious and very sad,” said Dennis Ahlburg, Trinity’s president.
Internally, the debate on campus was civil and reasoned, and did not break evenly along religious lines, Ahlburg said. Some Muslims opposed removing the wording, and some Christians supported it, he said.
“We think or students have handled the pressure incredibly well. It has been a great learning experience for them,” Ahlburg said. “It has made us at Trinity examine who we are as individuals and what this institution stands for.”