Scanlan's Speech Continues to Raise Questions; Arts Faculty Responds to Convocation
Brian O'Connor
Issue date: 3/1/06 Section: News
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Some faculty members expressed concerns that Scanlan might wish to promote the Catholic perspective in both the classroom and student body. In his speech, Scanlan said, "Just as we expect candidates to embrace the Institution's Core Value, so we expect them to embrace our Core Belief, namely that we live in the Presence of God. It follows inescapably that atheists are in essential conflict with our Core Belief, but excellence often implies that one can't be all things to all people."
Scanlan also said that adherence to the Core Belief of the school was important for incoming faculty, saying that the school should "seek candidates who want to join colleagues who provide a values-based education," and "seek candidates who are willing to help foster the religious dimensions of the college."
Out of the various faculty and staff members contacted regarding the story, only Drs. Taylor, Fahey, and Kaplan, were available for interview. Other contacted faculty from members did not respond to interview requests. Attempts to reach faculty from other departments proved unsuccessful, as no responses were given.
For some of Manhattan's atheist faculty, Scanlan's words were taken as hostile. Dr. Mark Taylor, a self-described atheist, expressed concern over the description of atheists in the Manhattan College community.
"It is sad for me, after 37 years at Manhattan, to see that Br. Scanlan regards people like me as not belonging in Manhattan College," he said.
The content of Scanlan's speech, and the "aggressive" tone the speech took against non-Catholics at Manhattan gave Taylor, a professor at Manhattan since 1969, great concern for the direction of the school.
"Scanlan's language of conflict is inappropriate. Just because we don't share certain beliefs does not mean we are in conflict with those who hold those beliefs," he said.
Among other concerns, Taylor said he was concerned about the interview questions proposed by Scanlan during the speech, which include a candidate's familiarity with Catholic doctrine and teaching methods.