Equal Protection Resolution

[greybeta]

So in my student senate, they passed a resolution requesting the administration to add specific language to indicate that The University of Tulsa does not discriminate against gays or lesbians. How does this affect me? I'm really not sure, but one of the senators spearheading the resolution asked me to write a letter in support. Might as well back up a resolution with actual student input, right? That being said, the best I could come up with was a short and general letter:

Dear President Upham,

Recently, the Student Senate passed a resolution to specifically include sexual discrimination under TU’s nondiscrimination policy. I would like to include my support for this resolution as a Presidential Scholar and a member of the Baptist Collegiate Ministries. While it may be politically safer for the university to avoid such an issue, I believe in the long run the university will benefit by continuing to attract high caliber students. TU will be able to advance its goal of diversity while encouraging an atmosphere of equality. I hope that the administration will carefully consider these words along with those of my peers.

Comments

[flcodemonkey.livejournal.com]

Well said.

[greybeta.livejournal.com]

It does get the message across.

[md2020.livejournal.com]

Did you hear Barabra Geffens letter is was mean but it pretty much said we don't need the wording because we understand discrimanation is discrimanation.. we'll sue no matter etc.. (sorry I can't spell, you know that by now.)

[greybeta.livejournal.com]

No, I didn't about Geffens letter. Brigid asked me to write a letter, so I assume she's going to be collecting a body of letters to submit to the administration.

[stealthcomic.livejournal.com]

Those are good points!

A small suggestion: if you are looking to beef up your letter, use the school's motto, mission, vision, and value statements to build your argument. If I might be so bold as to offer a couple more kernels of ideas?

Discrimination of any sort runs counter to the spirit of free inquiry that universities value. How can one be open to new research and new ideas if one practices close-mindedness?

(Bonus, free inquiry is mentioned in the mission statement!)

Additionally, University is supposed to be a time where students are encouraged to discover their path. Discrimination immediately invalidates portions of our human identity. It says to those who are oppressed that they are not worthy of development and that they do not deserve the same opportunities as their peers.

I know that there is the need in this last argument to acknowledge that there are and should be standards of behavior in our society, but those should be reserved for conduct that is self- or other-destructive and I can't really forumlate the thought at 5:40am. It can also be linked to the "integrity of character" and "commitment of humanity" parts of the mission statement.

[greybeta.livejournal.com]

Wow, I wish I had thought about that before I sent it off to the person who's collecting the letters.

Strangely enough, these are the same type of suggestions that my English teachers gave me when I was in high school. ;p

[stealthcomic.livejournal.com]

Heh. We have a little mailing list and pass notes to make sure we're all on the same page.

Just kidding. ;)

You're a good writer, dear. Your letter was good. I just have a different set of rhetorical strategies that I use--my first is to always check and see if there's something in my "opponent's" writing that I can use to strengthen my own argument.