Recently on campus, there has been considerable controversy over the attempt of Planned Parenthood student organization Vox to receive official recognition from the university. While people on both sides of the argument have voiced their opinions, the university administration has come out strongly against the recognition of Vox, saying it contradicts the university’s mission.

The university’s mission plainly states, “Our Catholic identity is expressed in our sponsorship of programs and activities devoted to the cultivation of religious character and our support of Catholic beliefs and values.”

Taking this mission into account, I can understand why Vox was denied official recognition by the university. Although the group has said its goal is to focus on issues of sexual education and women’s health, its sponsorship by Planned Parenthood does put it in conflict with the Catholic belief of sanctity of life. The university decided the Catholic values that are the chief governing basis of this institution would be compromised by the official presence of such a group. Therefore, we are to believe that if there exists any group on campus that comes in conflict with Catholic values, the university will strip its support of that organization. That would be the logical deduction from the university’s unwillingness to recognize Vox.

However, what if that was not the case? What if an organization existed here on campus that is responsible for the deaths of more children worldwide than Planned Parenthood could ever claim to be? What if there existed an organization that used violence as a means to its ends? The university surely would not recognize such a group, would it?

The ROTC has been present on the Marquette campus since 1917. It provides training for prospective officers of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines. The university provides Navy ROTC scholarship students with free room and board for four years. I believe this can be classified as financial support.

Why such hypocrisy? I cannot answer that question. I do not intend to offend any ROTC students on campus. The military’s presence here does clearly conflict with Catholic values and Christian scripture. Jesus believed in nonviolence, love and peace. Can the university explain how a military entity is able to carry opposite messages forward? Such an explanation is not only necessary to dispel the blatant hypocrisy evident, but also long overdue. While I question the presence of such a body and how its mission coincides with the Catholic, Jesuit Marquette mission, the university administration picks and chooses who it will recognize as an official organization based not on the university’s mission, but some other mysterious metric, or perhaps bias. And the people who want to start Vox just sit.

St. Arnold is a freshman history and secondary education major.,”Greg St. Arnold”

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