Convocation Speech with Jesus Reference Sparks Controversy at Dartmouth College
A convocation speech made last Tuesday by Dartmouth College's Student Body President with references to Jesus has sparked controversy on the Ivy League campus, leading to the publishing of a retaliating cartoon and the resignation of the Assembly's
A convocation speech made last Tuesday by Dartmouth College's Student Body President with references to Jesus has sparked controversy on the Ivy League campus, leading to the publishing of a retaliating cartoon and the resignation of the Assembly's Vice President.
Addressing Dartmouth students at the university's convocation, Student Body President Noah Riner delivered a speech on the importance of character.
"[I]t takes more than a Dartmouth degree to build character," said Riner, pointing to stories of corrupt Dartmouth alumni such as murderer Daniel Mason from the class of '93 and indicted rapist P.J. Halas from the class of '98.
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"Character has a lot to do with sacrifice, laying our personal interests down for something bigger. The best example of this is Jesus," continued Riner, praising Jesus' decision to take up the cross despite the consequences.
"He knew the right thing to do. He knew the cost would be agonizing torture and death. He did it anyway. That's character."
Some students took offense to the speech's references to Jesus, saying that convocation was an inappropriate forum for the topic.
One of them was the Student Assembly's Vice President for Student Life, Kaelin Goulet, who announced her resignation last Thursday.
"I consider his choice of topic for the Convocation speech reprehensible and an abuse of power," Goulet wrote in a BlitzMail message obtained by The Dartmouth – America’s oldest college newspaper.
In an interview with The Dartmouth on Wednesday, Riner said his speech had nothing to do with his agenda for the Student Assembly but was to get students thinking about character.
"I realize that I have a very specific perspective on the issue of character," Riner said. "And by adding my perspective, I hope that it'll give other people the opportunity to examine their own perspectives and to add those to the Dartmouth dialogue."
Others applauded Riner for his courage and defended his freedom of speech.
Chris West, college director of Christian Impact – the Dartmouth chapter of Campus Crusade for Christ – told the Christian Post, "I believe they were appropriate, humble, and heroic."
He added, "Noah demonstrated the very character of which he spoke when he alluded to Christ's sacrifice for us all. Jesus is still controversial to this day. The central question of 'Who do you say I am?' has divided the academic world, and every other world from the time Jesus walked the earth."
David Glovsky, a Jewish student, wrote in a guest column to The Dartmouth, saying that he was not offended by Riner's speech.
He argued that although the speech may have been "preachy" and led to disagreements among the Dartmouth community, "our disagreements do not give us the right to limit his speech."
The Editorial Board of The Dartmouth condemned the speech, writing, "The problem with Riner's speech was his insinuation that turning to Jesus is the only way to find character."
While Riner had every right to speak freely about what matters to him, "the forum he chose, however, was inappropriate," wrote the Board on Friday.
Patirick Dunn, a member of Christian Impact, noted that there were no restrictions placed on the speech's content. While he expressed regret from the quarrel and division caused by the speech, Dunn told the Christian Post, "I make no apology, however, for the content of the claims made by Jesus Christ, nor would I apologize for Jesus' specific commandments to speak openly about the good news of his death and resurrection as the remedy for humanity's sin."
"My suspicion is that those who believe convocation is an inappropriate place for the gospel message find few appropriate places for the gospel to be publicly expressed, and that limitation is not possible for those of us who believe in God's saving grace through Christ Jesus," added Dunn. "I respect Mr. Riner for his courage and I believe Dartmouth is a wonderful institution capable of encompassing a wide variety of viewpoints."
Some pointed out the hypocrisy of students and the newspaper that had no qualms about a comic strip by Paul Heintz, who lost to Riner in last spring's Student Assembly race. The cartoon, which appeared in The Dartmouth following the convocation, portrayed Riner as a crusader who wants "to vanquish all those infidel looters and rioters" and Jesus as a pot-smoking hippie who tells Riner to "Take a hit off this s--- and chill the f--- out."
In a letter addressed to The Dartmouth's editor, John Stern from the class of ’05 wrote, "I understand that some students may not enjoy hearing beliefs espoused at Convocation that conflict sharply with their own; and students have every right to raise respectful objections. But, especially in this atmosphere of tolerance and open-mindedness, Heintz's response was egregious.
"I dare say it was equally offensive to Christians, if not more so, than Riner's speech was to non-Christians," Stern continued. "When will we finally learn the lesson we claim we know so well: to treat the people and ideas with which we disagree with respect?"
Dunn admitted to finding the cartoon "offensive," saying it does nothing to contribute to a legitimate discussion of religion and spirituality in the university. Nonetheless, he defended Heintz's freedom of speech.
"Mr. Heintz is free to express his opinions, and rightly so," said Dunn.
Although Dartmouth College was founded in 1769 for the purpose of providing Christian-based education for Native Americans, Christian Impact’s West notes, "Today Dartmouth is a diverse institution representing many voices, and varying beliefs.”
“Opinions differ but we ought to be able to present our views without apology and discuss them with civility," he said. "Pluralism may be here to stay and in this milieu everyone has a voice. But a plumb line of truth remains.
"There was a day when Dartmouth truly was a Vox Clamantis in Deserto (Voice calling in the wilderness)," West continued. "I believe Noah is a remnant of that voice calling to the wilderness Dartmouth has become."
