Cross Removal: A Dangerous Precedent?

Cross Removal: A Dangerous Precedent?
Sarah K. Cron
CBN News
November 16, 2006

CBNNews.com - The removal of an historic chapel cross at the College of William & Mary is not taking well with many alumni and students. They're fighting back with petitions and appeals to school leaders.

The school's president had the cross removed in an effort to be less "faith-specific." Students and alumni fighting for the cross are concerned about where such thinking regarding the removal of a religious symbol might lead.

Several petitioners, from various belief backgrounds, claim that the logic used to remove the cross sets the precedence for removing any offending symbols.
"By conceding that students and citizens have a solemn right not to be offended by public symbols and by elevating above all else the sensibilities of those who may not feel sufficiently 'welcomed,'" said Bill Reidway, 1995 graduate, "Nichol is setting the stage for the exclusion from society all things religious, ethnic, and cultural."

Vince Haley, a 1988 graduate, and several current students are petitioning the college's Board of Visitors to reverse a decision by the president that removed the two-foot tall gold cross from the Wren Chapel altar where it had been on display for more than 75 years.
Haley, with the help of several current students, started an online petition in an effort to restore the cross to the altar. That drive garnered more than 1,400 signature, and the petition was handed to board leaders Thursday before they began their quarterly meetings.

In October, college President Gene R. Nichol confirmed to students through an e-mail that the cross was removed to make the space less "faith-specific" and more " welcoming" to people of all faiths. The cross was earlier removed from behind the chapel altar and locked in a nearby closet. "Let me be clear. I have not banished the cross from the Wren Chapel," Nichol wrote in the e-mail. ".But the Chapel is also used frequently for college events that are secular in nature - and should be open to students and staff of all beliefs."

Haley said that because colleges are leaders in social debate, points of disagreement or offense should remain open for discussion, not removed.
"We think it was a radical decision and inconsistent with intellectual tradition at William & Mary," he said. Deciding to remove the cross "extinguishes the very candle that gives light and warmth to the place."

The college's Board of Visitors, led by Michael Powell, graduate and son of former Secretary of State Colin Powell, could possibly take up the matter Friday before adjourning.
"I'd be very surprised if they don't consider the matter," Haley said. "Hopefully, they will evaluate how the president made the decision. People are very upset by it."

Last week, legislation was introduced to the Student Assembly Senate that would have restored the previous policy of allowing the cross be displayed unless its removal was requested for certain events, according to The Virginia Informer, an independent student paper. That proposal was rejected by a 14-4 vote, with two abstentions.
If the board does not consider the petition tomorrow, Haley said that he and others will continue to pursue the issue.
"William and Mary tradition is to engage in reasoned argument," he said. "We will continue to make the argument that this is wrong."
Nichol could not be reached for comment Thursday.

The College of William & Mary has maintained an informal relationship with the historic Bruton Parish Church in Williamsburg since the American Revolution. After being renovated, the parish gave its altar cross to the college's Wren Chapel for permanent display. Video clip courtesy of CBN Reporter Heather Sells.