What is the name of your religion (or college) worth?
This is the personal opinion of Kaatryn MacMorgan, and should not be viewed as the views of the owners of the blog, CUEW leadership or other people who are not Kat.
I went to a historically minority and originally baptist college (Temple University) which is pretty concerned about its image as historically minority and socially active (it no longer appears on USNews' list of top colleges, but appears on every list where social activism is important....it is less concerned about widening the acceptance gates and screwing the student teacher ration, but I digress) The biggest archive there is The Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection, and one of the reasons it is housed there is because it was viewed to be an asset to the college. It is, in short, a sign of the schools historic and continuing status as pro-minority and pro-social justice.
The reason I use the term historic and continuing is because that is the same status Southern Methodist University has regarding Christianity, Peace and Religious Observance in a secular world.
SMU has been given the greenlight to be the site for the George W. Bush presidential library, despite views to the contrary by Methodist ministers (like Temple, SMU is no longer a religious school, but is now a secular school which holds its historic religious name.)
The Methodists say, in my view rightfully, that the president, while a Methodist, does not represent the views of the Methodist church accurately (he is an example, in short, of poor Methodism, or at least a poor understanding of United Methodism, the branch he claims to be a part of [that's the church with the velvet rope and ejector seat commercials) and that placing his library at a school with Methodist in the title lends creedence to the view that he has the backing of his religion in his views (he does not.)
I, for one, agree with them.
I have been burned by really terrible people who also happened to be UEWwies (although poor examples of the faith and not members of leadership) and if we had a college named something, something UEW, I would not want the "Insert name here" library at that college.
SMU is faced with a decision at this point. Accept the library and think tank, despite protests by the UMC's members, http://www.protectsmu.org/ or respect the historic and continuing views of the college and take a pass.
In this case, the right thing is to simply say "We do not think a traditionally religious college is an appropriate place for the housing of a man made famous for leading a secular nation" and stick to housing the archives of people who embody the University's traditional values and goals.
That being said, UMC's strength is in its diversity, and it will live through SMU's getting the Bush Library if need be.