On September 21, Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) and Goshen College issued a press release announcing their joint decision to withdraw from the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) in response to concerns about the pair’s decision to allow the hiring of married gay and lesbian faculty. In July, EMU and Goshen updated their non-discrimination policy to include the hiring of same-sex couples, a decision which falls out of alignment with the CCCU’s hiring policy. In a statement issued by the CCCU’s Board of Directors (of which President Mullen is a member), the hiring policy stipulates that Christian colleges have the right “to only employ individuals who practice sexual relations within the boundaries of marriage between a man and a woman,” and that until recently, “there had been an alignment of hiring policies within the CCCU membership.
EMU and Goshen notified the CCCU of the changes they were planning to make in their hiring practices, a notification that led to a discussion of the CCCU member presidents to consider the possibility of changing the status of EMU and Goshen to non-member affiliates. According to a statement issued by the Board of Directors, “approximately 75 percent of members agreed in full or in principle with the Board’s recommendation to consider moving EMU and Goshen to non-member affiliate status,” Houghton was among this 75% according to Mullen. Additionally, 20% of member presidents “felt that EMU and Goshen should continue in full membership,” and less than 25% supported neither of these options. While this discussion period was underway, two member institutions, Oklahoma Wesleyan University (OKWU) and Union University, expressed concerns about the dialogue process and subsequently withdrew their membership from the CCCU.
Following their withdrawal, both EMU and Goshen maintained in a joint press release that their respective Christian commitments remained intact. In a joint press release, EMU’s President Loren Swartzendruber commented: “EMU remains fully committed to our Christian mission and will do so as an institution rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition which attempts to reflect Jesus’ call to peacemaking and justice.” In the same statement Goshen’s President Jim Brenneman stated: “Our Christian commitments and values have not changed, and while our desire has been to remain at the table with our brothers and sisters in Christ, we don’t want to cause further division in the CCCU.”
At EMU the original decision to change hiring policies was supported by a majority of employees and students, according to Steven Johnson, Department Chair and Associate Professor of Visual and Communication Arts at EMU. Johnson stated, “For many in the community, this decision was in line with deeply held faith commitments regarding inclusion and welcome and was greeted with joy. For others, the hiring policy decision was difficult to reconcile with their own understanding of faith.” That being said, Johnson described the atmosphere at EMU to be one of relief, “I believe many are glad to have a resolution to the listening process and are ready to move on to a new chapter with renewed energy.”
The atmosphere at Goshen regarding the changes in hiring policies was similar according to Goshen senior Peter Meyer Reimer, “The student body has been ready for this for a long time, as have the faculty.” Speaking to the impetus behind this change in hiring policy, Meyer Reimer added, “We [at Goshen] recognize that our heterosexual privilege is based upon the oppression of alternative sexualities, and that giving rights to those marginalized groups reduces our privilege as heterosexuals, which is difficult, but it is also just. Any institution that claims to prop up heterosexual privilege by perpetuating continued institutionalized discrimination against marginalized sexualities cannot pretend that they are doing so because they are “Christian.” I think this is simply a thinly veiled attempt by those with the power to hold onto it with their slimy little paws a little longer.”
According to Johnson, EMU’s decision to leave the CCCU was met with a mixed reaction from the community. Concerning the reaction of employees Johnson commented, “Some have expressed sadness that the university is losing a voice at the table in CCCU discussions. Others are relieved that the university won’t be spending energy trying to stay in the organization if the majority of CCCU institutions are against full membership for EMU.” On the other hand, the reaction of the student body has been largely muted according to Johnson, a reaction which he attributed in part to the lack of familiarity EMU students have with the CCCU and its programs.
Goshen’s decision to withdraw alongside EMU has not been a “big deal” on campus according to Meyer Reimer, “ basically everyone on campus [was] in strong support of the hiring policy change, long, long, long before the administration actually made the official change, and so if leaving the CCCU is a necessary extension of that, okay.” Similar to the response at EMU, Meyer Reimer noted that students were largely unaware of Goshen’s involvement with the CCCU prior to the response to their change in hiring policy.
While Houghton has not made an official statement concerning their opinion of the hiring policy changes made by EMU and Goshen, the college will continue to remain a member of the CCCU.