I was appalled by the Feb. 1 Viewpoint entitled "Students Upset by Gandhi." Four students complained that Dr. Arun Gandhi was a poor choice for Mission Week's keynote speaker because of his activism for gay rights. The students condemned Gandhi saying, "… hailing a speaker who so strongly and openly opposes our Catholic instructions during the week intended to be a celebration of Catholic identity is … disgraceful." These claims were made in reference to a peaceful gay rights protest, led by Soulforce, in which Gandhi participated.

Personally, I do not see how participating in a peaceful protest in any way undermines the theme of this year's Mission Week, "Constructing Peace;" however, the students' disgust seems to lie not in the act of protesting, but in the substance of what Gandhi was protesting. Because his views on homosexual rights do not correspond with those of Pope John Paul II, the students say that he is an unsuitable candidate to speak at a Jesuit university.

With statements like this, I have to wonder, then, how these students feel about homosexuals on the MU campus. Perhaps, if they are so unnerved by the issue of homosexuality, they should convince Marquette to stop admitting active gays and lesbians to the university altogether because active homosexuality certainly does not comply with Catholic teaching. Of course, this is a ludicrous idea, but it follows the same logic these students have used against Gandhi. To me, it does not seem very "Catholic" to discriminate against a man because of one belief he holds, especially when this belief has absolutely nothing to do with the speech he will be giving.

Last time I checked, Gandhi's speech was entitled, "Lessons My Grandfather Taught Me" not "Reasons the Catholic Church Should Change Its Views on Gay Rights." Perhaps we should be examining Gandhi's credibility based on the topics that he will be addressing. Gandhi was asked to speak at Marquette because of his knowledge and expertise in the area of spreading peace in our modern world. He will share with us his insight on bringing justice and peace to the world and instill in us a desire to work nonviolently to make our world more accepting. With Mohandas K. Gandhi, the greatest nonviolent peace activist of all time, as his mentor, I'm confident that Gandhi is more than qualified to speak on the topic at hand. It is an honor to host a man of such righteousness.

Plus, last time I checked, this event was not mandatory. So, I have some Gandhi-inspired advice for those four dissenting students: Hold a peaceful protest of your own, don't go to the speech.

Chrissy Scherman is a freshman urban and enviornmental affairs and economics major.

This article appeared in The Marquette Tribune on Feb. 3 2005.