Harvard would never associate itself with an independent student organization that was re-enacting a Koran burning or “the lynchings of African Americans or homophobic attacks or violence against women,” he charged, and neither should it permit a sacrilegious and desecrating ceremony mocking the Catholic faith.
This chaplain thoughts coincide with my own, that Harvard University would not permit this "freedom to explore" when it attacks other groups.
In my gut, I knew that would be right.
They'd have the police, the National Guard, and the Bureau of Land Mangement arresting anyone who attempted a Koran burning under the same guise of academic freedom.
But, it's ok to denigrate Catholic Christians at Harvard University.
First, Fr. Landry isn't a Harvard chaplain, but is with another group.
“Harvard would never associate itself with an independent student organization...”
The question is whether Harvard is associated with this group. There's a reason such a group is called independent. The group wishes to associate itself with Harvard, but it doesn't look to me like the love goes both ways. If Harvard provides support to this group, it should cease. However, I've searched, and there is no indication that Harvard supports, or even recognizes the group. It isn't listed among the publicly-listed student groups recognized by the Harvard Extension School.
Student groups recognized by the university can easily request and receive permission to use space for free (and even negligible amounts of resources) even if not funded by the university. My son wanted to try out cross-country skiing. He helped set up a club for it. The university more or less recognizes it and gives it a negligible amount of resources. If they want to have a meeting, they just ask to use a room on campus, and provided there are no conflicts, they get to use the room. Free. That's for whether they want to have a small meeting of their own little group, or a larger meeting, open to all, to try to attract new members.
The fact that these folks had to rent out commercial space on campus is telling. It tells me that Harvard doesn't recognize these folks, and before this, may have only been vaguely aware of their existence.
But we'll see how it plays out. I'll repeat - if the university provides material support to this group, it should withdraw that support.
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