In a Jan. 6 Tribune article, Peggy Fletcher Stack described recent restrictions on the personal beliefs of BYU staff by the administration. In response, professors should either rebel against these changes or leave for other institutions. The article mentioned several who have done just this, and I cannot commend them enough. Silent support of progressive ideals means nothing and helps no one.
The school’s well-respected academic programs are very appealing thanks to their subsidized cost. This is why BYU attracts many young Mormons, even those who consider themselves socially liberal. While this crack down is about weeding out critical professors, it is more about shaping the ideology of the next generation of Latter-day Saints. When these students attend the university, they will see that professors are afraid to even bring up certain topics and internalize that fear. They will see that any criticism of the church is not tolerated, even in academia.
Many of my LDS family members and friends have become more opposed to homophobia, sexism, transphobia, and racism in recent years. It would be heartbreaking to see this progress undone for someone after attending BYU. For every semester these policies continue the number of students hurt by their downstream effects will increase.
The quality of BYU’s programs is maintained by the university’s dedicated staff, many of whom I know oppose bigotry and support academic freedom. If they left, the academic standing of their departments would suffer. Thus, leverage exists, and university staff must use it. This reactionary movement within the administration will only continue unless it is opposed. Professors have not only the capability but the responsibility to do so. These policies are harming the students, staff, and the rest of the church. Therefore, resistance to them would also have an incalculable positive effect.
Taylor Cocteau, Layton
