OPINION — I know that this has been a very controversial time at Southern Utah University, and I know it has not been an easy thing to deal with the many different opinions and feelings about Elder Jeffrey R. Holland coming and speaking at commencement.
It is hard to be able to make decisions that are going to make everyone happy, and that is a hard position to be in to have to make those decisions. I am not able to attend the open discussions that are being held, but I don’t want to miss out on the opportunity to express my thoughts and feelings on having Elder Holland come and speak.
As an institution of higher education, it is important that students are introduced to various ideas and perspectives. Then, it is the students’ job to make their own decisions for their lives and be able to form their ideas based on the culmination of ideas they have been introduced to. That is how it works in the real world. Life is hard.
As much as I wish that everyone agreed with me and adhered to what I would like them to believe in, that is just not the case. We live in a complex world with many different ideas and perspectives, and we are going to have people that disagree with us. That is just how it is.
So, what is the solution to people disagreeing with you then? Is the solution to try and drive someone from the public square that disagrees with you? Is the solution to scream and scream until you are out of oxygen and force the other person to agree with you? No, I think the solution is to be respectful and understand that it is OK to disagree with others and have others disagree with you. We can all live together in harmony and peace but still disagree with each other and not think that we need to try and force people to change their minds about their opinions or deeply held beliefs.
I understand that many people in the LGBTQ community were upset from the comments Elder Holland made in his recent address. I do think that many people took his remarks out of context, and because of that, his comments were misrepresented. This has caused a lot of people to say that his comments offended them and have caused them harm. I am not discounting those feelings because I think some people genuinely may feel that way, but I don’t think the solution is to teach students that if someone hurts your feelings or has a different belief system than you, that you can just be disrespectful to their beliefs and not allow them an opportunity to speak about them.
As the president of Southern Utah University, I think you can set the precedent and teach students that we can disagree with others and be respectful. This will prepare them for life and help them to make an actual difference in the world. We always talk about being the change in the world at graduation ceremonies. Let’s teach students that we can be the change in the world by being respectful with those that we disagree with and allow them to share their thoughts just as much as we would expect ourselves to have the allowance to share our thoughts.
I have seen numerous students at SUU threatening real violence toward Elder Holland, and that is not OK. Removing him as speaker teaches these students that threats toward an individual are OK and have no consequences, besides getting the outcome you wish. This is blackmail.
I would also ask you to consider how members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that believe in the same principles and beliefs that Elder Holland believes in would feel if the university decided to find another speaker. This would show them that their beliefs and feelings aren’t valid and that they don’t have reciprocal respect when it comes to what they believe in.
It is already hard living in a very divisive world where religious beliefs are frowned upon and where we face persecution on a daily basis for what we believe. It would be so welcoming to have a speaker come that many students at SUU would be thrilled to have and feel like their beliefs, minority beliefs in the world, are respected and that they feel that they can share them and be respected.
I plead with you to have the courage to allow Elder Holland to still be the commencement speaker. Please do the right thing and teach students at the university the important lesson of being kind and respectful to others that disagree with you.
You can be the university president that stands up and has courage, or you can be the president, like all of the other presidents, that cave in because of the pressures they face from various groups of people that seek to silence those that disagree with them.
I hope you will take these thoughts into consideration, as I know many of my peers that are too afraid to speak out have the same thoughts. If Elder Holland is removed as the speaker, I hope you can have another church leader be the speaker, as I think this would be a good compromise.
Thank you for all that you do for our school and community.
Submitted by CARTER ROBINSON, Southern Utah University student.
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