Every year since 1994, ENDA (Employment Non-Discrimination Act) has been introduced in Congress and has failed to pass -- because of opposition of conservatives, chiefly Republicans. Thus there is no federal protection either.
Shorter University in Rome, GA has just fired a 50 year old librarian who had been employed for 14 years and who had tenure. Technically he was not fired; he simply had not completed "a valid fully-executed contract for continued employment."
The librarian had signed the contract but had redacted this one item in the Lifestyle Statement, which is now required of all employees as part of their contract:
"I reject as acceptable all sexual activity not in agreement with the Bible, including but not limited to, premarital sex, adultery, and homosexuality."This lifestyle declaration also includes the requirement that employees be "Bible believing Christians" and that they belong to a local church.
The terse, two line letter to the librarian from the Provost simply said "Shorter accepts your resignation," even though in his view he had not resigned. He just objected to part of the contract. He was later told that in effect he had not renewed his contract because he had not returned "a valid fully-executed contract for continued employment." It is notable that no second chance was offered, no offer to discuss the matter.
For over a century Shorter has been affiliated with the Georgia Baptist Convention, but it has only been since 2005, when the school lost a lawsuit over control of the Board of Trustee appointments, that the Baptist Convention gained a controlling number of the Board. Since then there has been a radical shift toward more conservative policies.
The school's logo now says: "Shorter University: Transforming Lives Through Christ." A new president has been appointed who is implementing new policies -- including that students may no longer sunbathe on the campus lawn. Mozart's opera The Elixir of Love is banned because alcohol is involved in the plot. Harry Potter novels may no longer be on curriculum reading lists. A total of 62 faculty and employees have left -- many of them reportedly because of the changed direction.
It makes no sense. "Transforming Lives Through Christ" -- and yet this has nothing to do with anything Jesus Christ ever is believed to have said, even by the ones who cite Biblical prohibitions; they didn't come from Jesus. In fact, in my opinion, this kind of exclusion and condemnation over "Biblical" adherence is antithetical to both the spirit and the words attributed to Jesus.
Shorter has long served as a small liberal arts college for students from Georgia, which make up about 90% of the student body. Now I suppose we'll have to start thinking of it as Georgia's answer to Oral Roberts University in Tulsa (where Michele Bachmann got her law degree) and Pat Robertson's Liberty University in Virginia.
Who knows? Maybe it will put Shorter on the map. It seems that ORU and Liberty are on the obligatory speaking circuit for Republican presidential candidates.
Ralph
Obviously I vehemently disagree with this sort of litmus test for who constitutes a person of good character and moral standing, which seem legitimate requirements for college faculty and staff.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I also disagree with their interpretation of the Bible and their misuse of "Christ" in their motto and logo, when this is a very "unChristian" way to treat a person who has worked for you, apparently satisfactorily, for 14 years.
I grudgingly agree that religious institutions ought to be able to limit their hires to people who will add to the atmosphere they wish to create -- just as I would say that a Chinese restaurant that wants an authentic Chinese atmosphere should not be required to hire waitpersons of an obvious different enthnicity and Hooters ought not be forced to hire burly, hairy men as waitresses.
But here we're not talking about an original hire. This is discharging (whether you want to call it firing is a quibble) a 14 year employee because you have changed the rules in the middle of his tenure.
That seems grossly unfair, even if it's not illegal.