Posted on 12/09/2010 12:47:42 PM PST by wardaddy
Nashville's Belmont University, whose Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business sired Brad Paisley, Trisha Yearwood, Josh Turner and other prominent music figures, has been criticized by the Curb College's namesake himself for forcing out a soccer coach on the grounds that her public admission of homosexuality conflicts with the school's Christian identity.
Mike Curb, who heads Curb Records, assailed the school's decision in a letter to Belmont's faculty senate, a group that also opposes the coach's severance. The full text of Curb's letter was published in Nashville's daily newspaper, The Tennessean.
"Belmont's Curb College is the largest stand alone music business college in the nation," Curb writes, "and more than half of Belmont's students study either the music business or music in general. All of us know that there are gay students at Belmont who are also very concerned [about Belmont's policy]. When our students enter the workforce, they will be entering an industry where gay people have made incredible contributions."
Curb also donated $10 million toward the construction of the Curb Event Center at Belmont, a multipurpose arena that hosted one of the official presidential debates between Barack Obama and John McCain in 2008.
Soccer coach Lisa Howe left the university under pressure last week after revealing to her team members that she and her female partner were expecting a baby.
Sympathetic students began a series of demonstrations and sit-ins on Sunday (Dec. 5) that is still in progress.
"Hopefully, Belmont will offer to re-hire Lisa Howe, and hopefully this type of injustice will never happen again," Curb's letter continues. "I will do everything I can to try to get the Board of Trustees to reconsider their position based on the fact that this is a basic civil rights issue."
Curb Records country roster includes Rodney Atkins, LeAnn Rimes, Wynonna and Clay Walker.
Marty Dickens, the chairman of Belmont University's board of trustees, told The Tennessean, "We expect people to commit themselves to high moral and ethical standards within a Christian context. That includes members of the board, faculty and administration."
I always thought he was a genuine conservative. Damn shame...just another fakir.
Screw him. I hope they hold fast.
Wonder where Alynne Massey is on this?
She's another big donor.
it is a scarey world when a Christian college cannot fire someone for their definite non-Christian lifestyle/views without some scuzzy little liberal inserting himself!
I suppose the Baptist Convention is extremely relieved that they cut all ties with Belmont (I predict Belmont will cave on this issue - too much money at stake).
Gee Mr Curb, perhaps Ms Howe should have been more forthcoming with the university when she sought a position coaching the soccer team at a Christian university. It also seems that she would be more comfortable coaching at a university that embraces the homosexual agenda instead of at a university that has chosen to identify with a more traditional Christian world view.
Opinions obviously differ on whether the school should be an arm of the larger Christian church, if it ever was one in the first place. Naming a college after a person (other than a biblical saint or Jesus Christ) is asking for trouble if a school wants to keep itself Christian. On the third hand (boy, I will soon become an octopus at this rate) what is a Christian music school doing with soccer at all?
It was Baptist once and still ostensibly Christian though having a big music arts and music biz program it’s full of lib and homosexual kids but I don’t see your logic or anyone’s in questioning why that is an issue for a private university...Notre Dame, Villanova, Wake Forest...etc
I’m off to deer camp so have a nice weekend
I know some conservative Belmont grads who are none too happy.
My oldest girl is at David Lipscomb...and though I’m not COC I do like their steadfastness.
Curb is a former Lt Gov of Kali for kids who don’t know
Curb your enthusiasm, Mike................
Shoot a deer for me pal.
Anyhoo I don’t see the point in a quasi-church organization. There’s a decision to be made, either for Christ or not for Christ.
Mrs. Tell did a semester at David Lipscomb - all she could stand. Not only did we have to sneak around to drink, they had a policy that none of their women students could be pregnant (Mrs. Tell was 23 years old at the time, and yes, we were married).
Just think, all this could have been avoided had Lisa Howes simply worn a condom...
Maybe Brad can sing a song about burning a rainbow in his yard.....
Sounds like he’s “Burning Bridges”. Makes me think of Crap Game, Oddball and the rest of the fellas. (obscure reference of the day ping)
Precisely. Hopefully, the school will not cave. They certainly have the right to kick her out.
Kelly’s Heroes, of course. :D
One of my favorite movies. And the Mike Curb Congregation tune at the end was the perfect close.
That and “What Did You Do in the War, Daddy”. Not that I am not rock-ribbed about how vital WW II was, just that I really appreciate good satire, no matter the subject.
We went through Hillsboro today going out to the Apple Store
The women in the car didn`t want to go by Belmont to see the protesters...I think they were scared I`d shoot `em the bird and we`d have trouble
It looked like about six protesters on TV
Hope Belmont doesn`t cave,but they probably will
As far as I’m concerned, Mike Curb’s “songwriter college” has done much to make Nashville’s music “product” as homogenized and lame as imaginable. We still have many a great songwriter here, but the “suits” determine what gets out there.
This doesn’t surprise me and, yes, Belmont will probably cave.
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