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While Johnny Mandel sang “suicide is painless,” it is apparently also ethical. Duquesne University Psychology professor Derek Hook is under fire this week after arguing in class that white people may find that the ethical option for the dismantling of white culture is suicide. As will likely come as little surprise to many on this blog, I oppose calls for Hook’s termination as a matter of academic freedom. In a class to Baltimore-based American Association for Psychoanalysis in Clinical Social Work in June available on Twitter, Hook used a quote by South African philosophy professor, Terblanche Delport, that “White people...

When the Vatican announced it would start banning priestly candidates with "deep-seated" homosexual tendencies, Duquesne University student Jonathan Danial thought it was a big mistake. But he didn't worry that the Vatican's hard line would affect him and other gay students at Catholic universities -- a belief that was bolstered last week when Duquesne University announced it will allow a new Gay-Straight Alliance organization. Matthew Pratter, who proposed forming the group, said Duquesne supports gay students, and he sees no sign that the Vatican's sentiments are trickling down to the campus. "I'm not going to let myself be afraid about...

Catholic Schools Punish Students for Opposing Homosexuality By Randy Hall CNSNews.com Staff Writer/Editor November 02, 2005 (CNSNews.com) - Two Catholic universities have tried to censor students during the past week for defending the church's teachings against homosexuality, actions the head of one Roman Catholic organization called "ridiculous." One incident took place in Pittsburgh, where a Duquesne University student used an independent website to voice his opposition to a proposed "gay-straight alliance" on campus and described homosexual sex as "subhuman actions." According to the school's website, several students complained to Duquesne's Office of Judicial Affairs, which held a hearing and concluded...

Recent news coverage regarding a Duquesne University judicial affairs case and the proposed creation of a Gay Straight Alliance has resulted in misleading information about the case itself, the judicial affairs process and code of conduct, and the proposed alliance. The following information is designed to provide basic clarity on these issues. The Judicial Affairs Process and Code of Conduct All Duquesne students are bound by the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities and Conduct. If a student’s behavior on or off-campus violates the code of conduct while he or she is associated with the University, the behavior could be brought...

A student at a Catholic university in Pittsburgh is protesting the school's decision to punish him for opposing the formation of a homosexual student group on campus. Duquesne University recently charged sophomore Ryan Miner with discrimination based on sexual orientation. Miner says he was punished for comments he made on a private website called Facebook.com after creating a group called "Against the Gay-Straight Alliance." Miner explains what happened. "I had written a blog, and I used not the most prudent of words but words that I felt coincided within my faith in the Catholic Church," the student shares. "I said,...

Father Jeffrey T. Robideau of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lansing, Mich., is speaking out in defense of Duquesne University student Ryan Miner, who, according to a report from LifeSiteNews.com, has been punished for statements he made, pertaining to homosexuality, "on a website which had no connection to the [Catholic] school." Father Robideau, author of the book Homosexuality: A Look at Catholic Teaching, told me the following (via e-mail, slightly edited): "I sent my book to several people in various offices at the school with the following letter: "Dear Duquesne University faculty, staff and students — "Responding to recent news...

A Duquesne University sophomore said he will risk being expelled for expressing his view that homosexuality is "subhuman" rather than write a 10-page essay the university has called for. Ryan Miner, 19, of Hagerstown, Md., was sanctioned by the university for posting his view on an online forum not related to the university. He opposed an effort by other students to form a Gay-Straight Alliance group, an issue still being debated by the Catholic university. "I believe as a student that my First Amendment rights in the Constitution were subverted and attacked," said Miner, who is Catholic.

Expulsion For Gay Comments? Duquesne Student Resists Punishment Catholic University Sanctions Student for Calling Homosexuality 'Subhuman' PITTSBURGH -- A Duquesne University sophomore will risk being kicked out of school rather than write an essay as punishment for expressing his view that homosexuality is "subhuman." Ryan Miner, 19, of Hagerstown, Md., was sanctioned by Duquesne after posting his view in The Facebook, an online directory that is not related to the university. Miner opposed an effort by other students to form a Gay-Straight Alliance group, an issue that is still being debated by the university. "I believe as a student...

Refusal to allow formation of a gay student organization at Duquesne University is fanning an extraordinary debate on the Catholic campus, where 119 faculty and staff are publicly urging the administration to reconsider. What is being framed by some as a struggle pitting diversity against school mission surrounds sophomore Matthew Pratter. He penned an opinion piece in the student newspaper, The Duquesne Duke, recounting his failed bid to gain approval for a gay-straight alliance on the 10,000-student campus. Pratter argued that at schools where they exist, such groups promote dialogue and discourage harassment. "It is crucial to combat the 'better...