To the Editor:
As a Roman Catholic student, I found the lead editorial in the Feb. 4 edition of The Signal to be very insulting and the latest attack on conservative values by the liberal "hacks." The author's obsession over the agreement that students must sign at Azusa Pacific University is totally unwarranted. First of all, several of those stipulations are not offensive. Is it that bad to create an environment in which getting drunk and/or high is not the number one priority on a student's agenda?
Secondly, a student must know what type of institution he/she is applying to and understand mandatory church services could be expected at a religious-based university. After all, the students have the right to choose which school they want to attend. The author selected an institution that is much stricter than other schools, such as Villanova and Notre Dame. Also, the writer's assertion that religious-based institutions are "fostering environments of judgment and condemnation" is another example of the attack-oriented journalism in the article. One can assume the author's disagreement over homosexuality at APU. Well, most religions frown upon homosexuality, so it would be understandable that the school would outlaw the practice on campus. Besides, by the time a 17 or 18-year-old student is going to attend college, the person already has an opinion on the issue and is not going to be swayed by a college.
Furthermore, the author's assault on Catholic elementary schools is laughable. Most parents send their children to a Catholic school because the public ones are sub-par institutions. Would you prefer children go to run-down schools and learn nothing? In addition, what is the writer's definition of a "shallow environment?" Is it one that teaches accountability, respect, and responsibility to its students? Just because students learn about creationism does not mean that they will become bigots.
