By Andy Matarrese
Tonight at the School of Nursing's 75th Anniversary Gala, the University planned to honor Thomas Aschenbrener, president of the Northwest Health Foundation, which has awarded approximately $150,000 in grants to the school in past years. But he will not be attending, due to his concern over UP's refusal to sign a nondiscrimination statement.
In a March 22 letter he wrote to Dean of the School of Nursing Joanne Warner, Ashenbrener wrote that he recently learned that the UP administration "would no longer certify that it will not discriminate against lesbian, gay, transgendered and bisexual persons in the hiring of faculty and staff, or in selection of students."
The situation came to light, he said, when UP refused a student's scholarship award from an organization with a nondiscrimination policy that included sexual orientation as a category.
"The scholarship was rejected specifically because it contained certification of nondiscrimination based on sexual orientation," he wrote, adding that he later met with UP Executive Vice President Fr. Tom Doyle, C.S.C., who told Aschenbrener that the school would no longer sign NWHF's nondiscrimination policy, which also lists sexual orientation as a protected category.
Doyle and University President Fr. E. William Beauchamp, C.S.C., referred all questions on the matter to Assistant Vice President of Marketing and Communications Laurie Kelley.
In a written statement, Kelley said "the university does not discriminate against individuals, period. This is universally applied in practice though not every classification is specifically stated in our policy."
Kelley wrote that the nondiscrimination policy connected to the scholarship made the administration uncomfortable because "it was not clear whether it required us to have that specific language in our written nondiscrimination policy."
In an interview with The Beacon, Kelley said the University did not want to overextend its legal obligations past its ability to keep track of and live up to them. Furthermore, she said, it's the University's practice not to discriminate for anything whatsoever, making listing every possible minority group redundant.
"There's definitely an interest in letting people be who they are here," she said, referencing the Gay Straight Partnership club at UP.
"We'll continue to review this and see if it's something to append," she said.
Any change would not happen overnight, and would require action from the Board of Regents or University administration.
UP's discrimination policy in the University Policies and Community Standards guide states the school "seeks to provide equal opportunity for all students and employees without regard to race, color, religion, gender, age, national or ethnic origin or disability."
In his letter, Aschenbrener said he felt it would be "hypocritical" for him to be present at a UP function, considering the NWHF's and his own views on civil rights and social justice.
Aschenbrener met with University President the Rev. E. William Beauchamp, C.S.C., Monday to discus his concerns.
In an interview with The Beacon, Aschenbrener said that he believes the issue was more of a breakdown in communication and is encouraged.
"I felt I got a different perspective from the president," he said. "I totally believe him when he says the University does not and has not discriminated against people based on sexual orientation," he said.
Nevertheless, Aschenbrener still will not attend the School of Nursing's 75th anniversary event.
"While I felt like I got a very good sense of Fr. Bill's intention, he hadn't had time to act on those intentions," he said. "The proof will be in the pudding, won't it?"
