Centerfield

Don't Cross Your Donors

Cross debate costs College of William and Mary $12 million donation

WILLIAMSBURG, Virginia (AP) -- A longtime donor to the College of William and Mary is withholding a $12 million pledge because of the decision to remove of a cross from a campus chapel, the school said...

...Advocates of keeping the cross in Wren Chapel pointed to the school's founding 300 years ago as an institution of the Anglican Church. The cross, they argued, should be displayed not only as a symbol of faith but as an acknowledgment of history and tradition.

Nichol's supporters say the school, which has been public since 1906, is obligated to make people of different faiths feel comfortable.

Good. I hope this donor finds another good place for this money. Does "making comfortable" have to mean bending over backwards to eliminate every possibility of slight? I say no. Instead of removing the cross, they could have added other symbols to make the place appear multidenominational, if that fits the school's mission better. And they could have geared welcoming efforts more to how the chapel is run than what it looks like, instead of trampling on both history and the feelings of alumni.

I have no problem with the stated goal of the school here, I simply object to the clunky execution.