1011
(0 votes, average 0 out of 5)
Written by Louis Weisberg, Staff writer
Jun 17, 2010
Marquette University has reached an undisclosed settlement with Jodi O’Brien after rescinding an offer to make her dean of the university’s College of Arts and Sciences.
O’Brien, the openly lesbian head of Seattle University’s sociology department, had signed a contract for the position before Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki and other Roman Catholic leaders complained that her academic writings on sexuality and marriage were inconsistent with the school’s religious mission. University president Fr. Robert A. Wild subsequently rescinded the offer, setting off a wave of protests by students, condemnation from faculty members and a firestorm of controversy throughout higher education.
The university’s action imperiled at least one state grant and could result in censure from numerous academic associations.
Wild disseminated a letter to Marquette’s faculty, students and supporters June 9 saying that the university had “apologized to Dr. O’Brien for the way in which this was handled and the upset and unwanted attention that we have caused to this outstanding teacher and scholar.”
The letter also commended O’Brien “for the graciousness with which she has addressed the situation these past six weeks.”
O’Brien responded with a statement saying that she’s received “hundreds of messages, including many from local Catholics, expressing dismay at the university’s decision to suddenly cancel my hire.
“This support has inspired me to work toward an agreement that acknowledges the pain and damage to the Marquette community as well as to myself.”
A Marquette spokesperson declined to say whether the settlement included a financial payment, but the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that a source knowledgable about the settlement negotiations said Wild told the university’s board of trustees that Marquette would take a “financial hit.”
Wild’s letter said the university plans to take measures to improve awareness and inclusion of LGBT people on campus, including conversations, research and education on gender and sexual orientation issues.
“We’re going to be making sure that those happen and happen in ways that are constructive and congenial to LGBT concerns,” said Marquette philosophy professor Nancy Snow.
Snow said she and other supportive faculty members were disappointed that Wild’s statement failed to clarify whether O’Brien’s sexual orientation played a role in the hiring decision or to explain how O’Brien’s academic research about sexual orientation and same-sex marriage undermined Marquette’s Catholic mission.
“I’m taking a wait-and-see attitude,” Snow said. “I’m not happy that the contract is breached. I think Jodi O’Brien would have made an excellent dean, and the way the decision was made is unethical. There’s a lot that has to be fixed here.”
Comments