Posted on 04/13/2006 11:57:49 AM PDT by wagglebee
VILLANOVA, Pa. - Long proud of its conservative religious values, Villanova University is generating new buzz as administrators consider a proposal to install a memorial to the "victims of abortion."
Administrators at the private Catholic school in suburban Philadelphia decided Tuesday to consider the proposal being pushed by Villanovans for Life. The group wants to put the memorial along a path connecting the main campus with an area where freshman dormitories are located.
Lauren Homans, 22, a group member, said the school has had other displays protesting abortion - including a field of crosses representing aborted fetuses - but not a permanent one. Her group plans to purchase the statue, depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the baby Jesus, and label it as a memorial to the "victims of abortion."
"It's not just for the unborn," said Homans, of Lawrenceville, Ga. "It's for the mothers and the fathers and the other relatives as well."
Villanovans for Life has secured a $20,000 donation to cover the cost of buying and shipping the sculpture by artist Timothy P. Schmalz. Now, she hopes the school's administration will approve the idea of putting it along the well-traveled pedestrian path.
Most of the response to the idea has been positive, Homans said, but some students have expressed concerns.
Barbara K. Clement, a university spokeswoman, said the school's board of trustees decided Tuesday to study the memorial idea further before taking action. In a self-reported student survey, she said, 77 percent of the school's undergraduates indicated they were Roman Catholic.
Some students, however, said the statue would be taking the school's religious values too far.
"I don't like the idea of it at all," said Ashley Holmgren, 19, a freshman from Bergen County, N.J., who supports abortion rights. "Having to pass that every day - I just don't think that's right."
Another freshman, Katie Dowd, 19, worries the statue would prevent some students from attending Villanova if their values don't exactly match those of the school.
"I think it would reflect poorly on the university," said Dowd, of Lancaster. "I think it would definitely appear unwelcoming to students who aren't Catholic or don't believe that."
Clement, however, said she doesn't think the statue would prevent the school from attracting students from diverse backgrounds. If a student found the statue objectionable, she said, it would likely help stimulate academic conversation on campus.
"We definitely are committed to diversity, racial and economic diversity," said Clement. "With that kind of diversity also comes religious diversity."
The University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., has had a similar memorial for more than five years; spokesman Dennis Brown said officials at the Catholic school have not heard any complaints.
Villanova freshman Page Stillwell, 19, of Andover, Mass., said she doesn't think the monument would discourage students from attending. Stillwell, who opposes abortion except in the cases of rape and incest, said applicants usually know about the school's Augustinian traditions.
"When everybody comes to Villanova, they are aware of the moral and religious background of the school," she said.
Why don't you ask the 50 million infants who have been slaughtered since 1973 how they feel about it.
Another freshman, Katie Dowd, 19, worries the statue would prevent some students from attending Villanova if their values don't exactly match those of the school.
That should be a goal not a problem.
Ping.
'Nova Ping...
Will make Villanova attractive to decent kids who don't want to be bombarded with the propaganda avalanche from the Death Cult professors at virtually every other school.
Wow. Good for them. They've come a long way from trying to have a memorial to a baby-killer last year!
I can be proud of my alma mater!
Who were they going to have a memorial to last year?
47,282,923
A teacher who went kooky (PPD) and killed her baby - then committed suicide.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1324516/posts
They took it down....
That's the same number they've had up since at least sometime last fall, I've seen figures that have the tally at just shy of 50 million as of February.
None of this takes into account that statistically, about half of the babies would have been female and many of them would now have children of their own.
That is awful...
"I don't like the idea of it at all," said Ashley Holmgren, 19, a freshman from Bergen County, N.J., who supports abortion rights. "Having to pass that every day - I just don't think that's right."
Another freshman, Katie Dowd, 19, worries the statue would prevent some students from attending Villanova if their values don't exactly match those of the school.
"I think it would reflect poorly on the university," said Dowd, of Lancaster. "I think it would definitely appear unwelcoming to students who aren't Catholic or don't believe that."
How cute (in a sick way) that some students think that really believing in something is taking it too far.
I guess that those who would feel uncomfortable about seeing the display on a daily basis would be really mortified to know that God put the feeling of shame in us to help us know when we are on the wrong path....
That's good news but I would dispute that Villanova is a conservative religious institution. It has a history of straying from Catholic teaching.
I went there when it happened. She was the head of Islamic studies at Villanova. After they took the plaque down, almost all the faculty in St. Aug had pictures of the murderer/suicide professor on their office doors to show their support of her and their anger at the university. My English professor blamed the plaque's removal on a right wing agenda.
None of the big Catholic universities (Georgetown, DePaul, Villanova, Boston College, etc,) are really Catholic anymore.
That doesn't sound very conservative to me.
I was SO mad at them!
The English department is a bit lib. You could find some more conservative professors if you tries.
Actually, I had one class that was something like Distoriton in the Media. It was pretty cool.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.