In recent months, the College of the Holy Cross has become further engrossed in efforts to dechristianize the school and its identity. Even many in the College’s administration, it seems, perceive secularization and cultural assimilation more favorably than the values on which the College was founded and reached national eminence.
The decline of tradition and uptick in societal conformity at the College of the Holy Cross has run rampant this academic year. For instance, most recently, a sector of the College’s faculty initiated a movement seeking to change the name of the student newspaper, The Crusader, out of fear that “the growing anti-Muslim tensions in our country, and […] the fact that the Ku Klux Klan official newspaper shares the same name as our own” somehow poses a threat to the College’s mission and identity. These claims indicate just how easily the College community caves to political pressure. If the Crusader moniker becomes “anti-Muslim” during times of national religious tension, then what does “Holy Cross” become? After all, Jesus was nailed to a cross: does “Cross” propagate the same violent connotations that Crusader does? Should all Christian symbols and paraphernalia be removed from campus as so not to offend? Should the College change its name to “College of the Holy Cross and the Sacred Ka’abah” to promote religious equality and multicultural inclusivity?
Additionally, many non-Christian students have declared that the Crusader moniker is unwelcoming and not applicable to all students. I must ask, why do these students feel unwelcome? The last I checked, Christian students aren’t running all non-Christians off campus, and the College does not impede the rights of anyone, regardless of their faith. Likewise, mascots like Notre Dame’s Fighting Irish and Seton Hall’s Pirates surely do not apply to every student on campus – yet I do not see students at those institutions demanding a mascot change. Holy Cross should not modify its mascot and institutional customs to suit the demands of every identity group. If “Crusader” and other indicators of Christianity make a student feel uncomfortable, then perhaps he or she should not have enrolled at the College of the Holy Cross.
According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, there are only currently only 5,000 members of the Ku Klux Klan, or 0.001% of the United States population. Even with this statistic in mind, chances are slim that a large fraction of those 5,000 members actually subscribe to and read the publication. Had anyone even heard of the KKK’s Crusader newspaper prior to a few months ago? Are we at Holy Cross – one of the premiere colleges in the nation – really naïve enough to allow a diminutive publication belonging to a hate group that is no longer relevant to dictate what our values and identity should be? I would hope not. All efforts to abolish the mascot and moniker are sparked by nothing other than political correctness and desires to further secularize the College.
As one Holy Cross student said at The Crusader fishbowl discussion, “The term crusade can be used in a variety of ways and obviously the KKK has chosen it as a name for a reason, and they are on a particular crusade; but I would argue, at least I hope, that we at Holy Cross are on a very different crusade. I don’t think the problem is that we have the same name as the newsletter of the Klan, but how we’re advocating for what crusade we are on. The more pertinent issue is to say to the Klan, ‘No, you are not crusaders; we are crusaders and this is what our crusade is.’” Why is Crusader something so many see to be innately bad? Judging a mascot based on the historical connotations it may lead to is foolish and unwarranted.
Unfortunately, through actions, policy changes, and movements like the Crusader objections, the College of the Holy Cross is further regressing into a postmodern establishment that tucks away the Church’s teachings when politically convenient, favors a relativistic ‘multicultural competency’ over the school’s long-rooted Catholic identity, and perceives fundamental components of the College’s mission and culture as obstacles rather than assets.
The Crusader “discussion” appears to be a part of a larger trend. In 2014, the College replaced what was a unique and esteemed seal with what looks like a reconstruction of the Wal-Mart logo, albeit in a purple shield, that would more suitably represent a school named the College of the Purple Sunlight. Noticeably absent in the new logo is a cross or any clear Catholic symbolism. Though the shield is, in fact, vaguely representative of the Society of Jesus, does it not seem strange that the College of the Holy Cross no longer chooses to represent itself with a cross?
In a similar vein, many prospective and current Holy Cross students report that their campus tour guides go out of their way to downplay the College’s Catholic identity. In a recent edition of the Holy Cross tour guide manual, the three “big things to emphasize” while talking about academics are listed as “Liberal Arts,” “All Undergraduate,” and “Jesuit identity.” The Office of the College Chaplains touts itself as being “Inspired by our Jesuit identity” with no mention of Catholicism anywhere on its “About” webpage. Descriptions of the Holy Cross retreats mention “Jesuit” several times; however, fail to mention “Catholic,” “Christian,” or even “Jesus.” The “Oath of Inclusion” video produced by the Student Government Association earlier this academic year labels Holy Cross as being “in accordance with Jesuit traditions and values,” yet makes no mention of Catholicism. All in all, it is not difficult to see that the Holy Cross administration, faculty, and oftentimes student body uphold the College’s Jesuit values over its Catholic identity. In fact, one might be inclined to believe that Holy Cross is ashamed of its Catholic, Christian origins: seemingly every time the College represents itself to a public audience, it will proudly boast about its Jesuit values but turn a blind eye to the root of those values, as though it is a source of shame or embarrassment. This predicament raises several questions: Are “Jesuit” and “Catholic” entirely different entities? Can one exist independently of the other? Is our Jesuit standing an excuse to neglect certain Catholic teachings? Is Catholicism something to be ashamed of? The answer to all of these questions is, of course, no. Historically, the College of the Holy Cross has been considered among the top Catholic colleges in the nation, but its place in certain national rankings has dropped in recent years. Is it purely coincidental that its decline in national reputation follows the same timeline as its decline in commitment to Catholicism?
The Holy Cross Become More campaign seeks for Holy Cross to be recognized “as the premier Catholic college.” If this is truly the College’s goal, perhaps it ought to start embracing its Catholic identity rather than rejecting it. We have had enough discussions about identity over the past year. Some have been worthwhile while others have been senseless. However, it is important that we as a college community don’t get caught up in the politics and silliness of these arguments. Unfortunately, it seems as though we already have. But that doesn’t mean it’s too late. As Pope Francis said, “Have the courage to go against the tide of current values that do not conform to the path of Jesus.” Holy Cross’s own identity is a slanted version of what it could and should be, and as Catholics, it is our mission to resist the tide.