william_jewell_72803

Posted: 7/25/03

William Jewell faces defunding in '04

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (ABP)–Leaders of the Missouri Baptist Convention voted July 15 to eliminate funding for William Jewell College because of the school's handling of homosexuality and other moral issues.

The convention's Executive Board deleted the school from next year's recommended budget after investigating the college's practices and policies. If approved by messengers to the fall Missouri Baptist Convention annual meeting, the move would effectively end the convention's 154-year relationship with the Baptist school.

David Sallee, William Jewell's president, said the board's decision reflected a desire to control the college. But Charles Burnett, chair of a committee investigating the school, said funding should be denied because the college failed to “fall in line with what we believe are God's teachings.”

The Missouri Baptist Convention has been in turmoil for more than two years, as a fundamentalist movement has gained control of most convention boards and committees. The transition led to the resignation of the convention's executive director and prompted five institutions to change their charters to create self-perpetuating boards. Those actions currently are being challenged in court by the state convention.

William Jewell was not among those five dissident entities and in fact was scheduled to receive additional funding redirected from the five. William Jewell's trustees historically have not been elected in the same manner as the Missouri convention's other schools.

William Jewell receives about $1.1 million a year from the convention, which accounts for 3 percent of the school's budget.

During the Executive Board's July session, Burnett said the interagency relations committee had met with college administrators to iron out differences, but the college's response to the committee's inquiry was “not sufficient” for continuing funding.

Among the concerns:

The college allowed student senators to consider a change in the Student Bill of Rights to add sexual orientation to its list of characteristics protected from discrimination. Students defeated the proposal Jan. 28.

A theater student was allowed to produce portions of the play “The Vagina Monologues” as the student's senior recital.

The committee asked the college for information about trustees and faculty, including their church membership and affiliations with organizations other than those related to the school.

The committee wanted college officials to outline the official teaching position on the Genesis account of creation.

The convention also sought the right to elect William Jewell's trustees, which was denied by the college.

Only four of the 48 Executive Board members voted against defunding the college.

After the vote, Sallee described the motion to defund as “an expression of the philosophy of the Executive Board that it will not fund anything it does not control.”

“This is about governance,” he added. “The sensitivities of our Missouri Baptist constituencies are considered in decisions made by the college. However, when this board or its representatives demand that the college change its policies or apologize for decisions, that is an attempt to interfere with the governance function of the board of trustees of the college.”

Sallee told Executive Board members college administrators “wrestled” over the decision to allow the theater student to perform the controversial play. It was “an agonizing discussion,” he said. “But we came down on the side of academic freedom.

“Since then, we have revised the process … so that we will not find ourselves in that position again,” he added.

Jay Scribner, chairman of the board's administrative committee, called the move to cut William Jewell's funding “a belabored, prayerful decision.”

“It is about holiness, righteousness and godliness,” he said.