Packard also said that university leaders can no longer rely on their institutional authority to ensure that students or staff will abide by policies. Increasingly, he said, leaders have to convince people to follow the policies because it is the right thing to do.
Not all Calvin students or alums who disagree with the school want to break ties. Ryan Struyk, a Calvin graduate and journalist who won the school’s 2021 young alumni award, says the school’s mission still inspires him. Though he disagrees with the school’s beliefs about sexuality, he taught a journalism class as adjunct professor last spring.
“I taught my course with a robust, wholehearted Reformed Christian perspective, even though I’ve also come to a different conclusion than the university about how God calls me to live in this specific area,” he said. “I have no doubt that many LGBTQ Christians like me have much to offer Calvin and its students. We should be able to do so. Calvin’s mission still inspires me today, and my deep desire is to live out my place in that mission, no matter who I marry.”
Kelsey Coburn, former coordinator of student support and sexuality programming at Calvin, said the tensions between the university’s policies about sexuality and the reality of students’ lives made it difficult for staff to be supportive of LGBT students.
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While at Calvin, Coburn oversaw the Sexuality and Gender Awareness support group for LGBT students. She felt pressure to support the school’s policies, which she felt limited her ability to care for students.
“Calvin wants to present that they are more than happy to have conversations across ideological divides but the reality is that the CRC is not affirming,” she said.
Sweda said she may return to the center after it becomes independent or may find another job. Until then, Sweda and her wife plan to enjoy their first year of wedded bliss.
“I don’t think we were expecting this in our first year of marriage,” she said. “This incident isn’t going to cloud the celebration of our wedding and our marriage.”
This article originally appeared here.
