Bulletin Board Update:

by The Cowl Editor on April 2, 2018


Campus


 Find out more about recent developments regarding the bulletin board controversy including responses from administration, the current status of bulletin boards, and an impending Title IX investigation.

Photo Courtesy of St. Joe’s Resident
 by Sabrina Guilbeault ’18, Marla Gagne ’18
News Editor, Editor in Chief
In the weeks following the display of the bulletin board in St. Joseph Hall at Providence College on March 2, the controversy has sparked great backlash from students, faculty, alumni, and local media and received both criticism and praise.

The board was displayed by Resident Assistant Michael Smalanskas ’18, and represented the Catholic Church’s vision of marriage as a sacrament performed by one man and woman, and contained the statement, “Marriage, the way God intended it.”

Due to the controversy following this board, Jana Valentine, director of residence life, made a joint decision with her staff to suspend the use of bulletin boards for communication until a task force can more properly define a function and purpose for the boards.

Smalanskas explained that his intention was to proudly display Catholic teaching on a Catholic campus and to expose the double standard he finds at the College that does not protect conservative views in the same way as others. “A good example of this is the pro-same sex ‘marriage’ bulletin board on display in McVinney in February,” wrote Smalanskas in an email responding to The Cowl’s questions. “I have been accused of abusing my power and promoting hatred by displaying pro-traditional marriage views, but this other resident assistant was not.”

A summary of the initial events that occurred within the first week of the board’s installation, including a Board of Multicultural Student Affairs (BMSA) meeting in which Kristine Goodwin, vice president of student affairs, addressed student concerns, was reported by The Cowl and can be found here:  https://www.thecowl.com/featured/bulletin-board-controversy.

Since the publication of the initial article, the controversy has continued to gain attention from outside media, and the College has made additional statements regarding the incident. A recent report from the National Catholic Register cited Smalanskas as stating that a Title IX investigation is underway to investigate a cartoon depicting Smalanskas being sodomized, which was found in his dorm bathroom of St. Joseph Hall in the following days since the bulletin board was put up.

A majority of the articles published regarding the controversy can be found on the Facebook page, “Make PC Catholic Again,” which was created and run by Smalanskas to “provide the most recent news about the developing situation at PC.” In the description of the page, it is stated that “Make PC Catholic Again” is not meant to be an open forum on the topic.

“It is meant to be a place where all news coverage of the situation can be found in one place,” said Smalanskas. Some students who have left comments to the page have voiced concerns that their voices are “silenced” when their comments are deleted. “All comments, whether they are supportive of me or adamantly opposed to what I’ve done, are deleted,” said Smalanskas in response.

One specific article found on this page is a letter from March 21 to Smalanskas written by Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence, reaffirming the Church’s teachings on marriage and praising Smalanskas for his proclamation of faith. While encouraging prudence and charity with every action, Bishop Tobin did reaffirm that Christians “do them no favors, and we fail to fulfill our Christian vocation, if we hesitate to present and explain the divinely revealed truth about faith and morals.”

Portrait of Bishop Thomas Tobin
Photo Courtesy of dioceseofprovidence.org

Bishop Tobin continued to express regret for the negative reaction Smalanskas has received from his community, especially on a Catholic college campus such as PC. “I think we have the right to presume that those who teach or study at a Catholic school should accept, or at least respect, the stated identity, mission, and fundamental teachings of the Faith,” said Tobin. “Otherwise, there are lots of other good options for higher education they can choose if they really feel threatened by or are uncomfortable with the teachings of the Church.”

Two days prior to this letter, President Father Brian Shanley, O.P., sent an email to the PC community regarding the board, and stated that the Church’s views on marriage is not homophobic as homophobia is a sin. “We will never eliminate the tension between what the Church teaches and what modern secular culture professes about human sexuality and marriage,” he said. “Our challenge is to create a campus climate that will enable us to explore our differences dialogically with mutual respect and charity.”

Smalanskas, as well as Dr. James Keating, associate professor of theology and advisor to Smalanskas through the Title IX process, expressed their disapproval of the College’s initial response regarding the reaction to the board.

“The College failed in many respects to address the situation properly,” said Smalanskas, who said he repeatedly asked administration to denounce the harassment toward him from the very beginning. He explained that he felt that the rape drawing would have been avoided if the College had acted. “It also seemed like an easy task for the administration to support the content of the board but it took several weeks for the school to affirm its Catholic identity and speak against the hatred and harassment,” Smalanskas said.

Keating explained that in his opinion, the administration’s reaction to the cartoon and lack of initial response is the “strangest thing.” “As soon as someone files a Title IX violation, the school should go into extreme protection mode,” said Keating, who earlier explained he felt the administration responded to the feelings of students in response to the board and should have also responded to harassment against Smalanskas. “They should have sprang into action, but we saw an absolute flouting of Title IX protections.”

The Department of Public Safety at Providence College did remove Smalanskas from his dorm room in St. Joseph following the initial incident and housed him in another dorm room for his protection.

Goodwin addressed the issue to student leaders in an email on March 18, and encouraged students to engage in dialogue. She encouraged students to attend a “March Against Transphobia and Homophobia at PC,” organized by SHEPARD, the student organization and support group for members of the LGBTQ+ community. Mallari Bosque ’18, president of SHEPARD, explained the march was meant “to acknowledge the discomfort that the LGBTQ+ community are often subjected to feel.”

PC students holding signs in support of the LGBTQ+ community
Photo Courtesy of Sabrina Guilbeault ’18/TheCowl

At the march, faculty, staff, and administrators affirmed that homophobia has no place at a Catholic institution, and that the purpose of the march far extends the content found on the bulletin board. For full coverage on this event, please use the following link: https://www.thecowl.com/breaking-news/pc-community-marches-against-transphobia-and-homophobia

Fr. Shanley released a second statement in an email on March 26 in reaction to what he calls “negative publicity, mostly on conservative media sites” that are “not accurate,” and increasing phone calls from angered alumni.

“The College always has, and always will, remain faithful to the teachings of the Catholic Church,” said Fr. Shanley. He also denounced the hostility shown to Smalanskas in the passing weeks, and stated that the drawing was “odious” and “reprehensible.” “There can be no place on our campus for bullying, harassment, or intimidation,” Fr. Shanley said.

While this message did fulfill the initial request made by Smalanskas and Dr. Keating for the College to address the harassment and confirm Catholic beliefs, Smalanskas thought it came only after bad publicity for PC and was insulting to members of the media, alumni, and himself.

Looking to the future, this bulletin board controversy has shown a larger conflict at place at PC and within Catholic colleges across the country—how can a college maintain its Catholic identity while still being inclusive?

Dr. Keating believes that PC was not ready to address this “huge challenge” and now must decide, like many Catholic colleges, what it means to be a Catholic college not just in the pulpit or classroom but in the everyday life of students. Goodwin also stated that PC is “not alone in this struggle” and looks to professional organizations like the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities for guidance and information.

“I think about moving forward prayerfully and curiously,” said Goodwin. “It’s more important for me to understand than to be understood. Experience of students, faculty, administration, and alumni helps us move forward and we can count on professional organizations to help us in dialogue and conversations and inquiry.”

Smalanskas has continued to pursue his Title IX claim, which prohibits sex discrimination in educational institutions that receive federal fundraising and aims to remedy hostile learning environments. PC’s Sexual Misconduct or Relationship Policy complies with Title IX, and the College’s website defines sexual harassment as “any form of sex discrimination when the conduct creates a hostile environment.”

Investigations fall under the Department of Public Safety and are overseen by the Title IX Coordinator Dr. James Campbell. Complainants are given an adviser, in this case Dr. Keating, who has previously worked on Title VI and IX cases, and can find resources with the Dean of Students, Steven Sears.

While the investigation is ongoing, administrative figures are “reluctant to talk about an individual student” in respect of their privacy and to never compromise an ongoing investigation, said Goodwin.

 


2 thoughts on “Bulletin Board Update:

  1. Mike Smalanskas is out of control in his accusations about the college administration and his insistence that they did not handle things properly. From all reports, even his own, it appears that the staff did quite a bit to make sure that he was safe even to the point of moving his location to ensure that he was safe. He is unnecessarily critical of Fr. Shanley, and, in my opinion, very disrespectful in his disposition toward the president. He is equally critical of VP Goodwin who has the difficult position of having to deal with folks like Mike and those who wholeheartedly do not agree with his perspectives. The one thing that is certain about this situation is that Mike Smalanskas has been gathering internet trophies in the form of articles written in conservative publications and interviews with right wing media outlets. He has gathered all of these trophies on his Make American, excuse me, PC Great, sorry Catholic Again Facebook Page. He has now been at it for more than a month. When will he stop? Who knows? But all the media attention he is seeking, and getting, and the disparaging way he portrays adults who run the college begs the question of who is actually doing the bullying here. Personally, I am very tired of the Mike show and I wish him luck with the rest of his life because very people will be interested in hiring a man who actively seeks out opportunity to slam authority.

  2. These kind of news or incidents do get people from all sorts of life upset and angry.
    I am a catholic and I shouldn’t have to say conservative Catholic bc there is only one kind of catholic. A catholic who follows Gods law and a catholic who follows his own laws. There is only One God and one law. God is all Love and God is a father that cares for all of his children. Just like I have laws in my house bc I care for my children.
    If am a catholic and if you come to my house and images and quotes on the wall offend you. Don’t take it personal. I don’t have them there to offend you. That is what I believe.
    And in no sense does it mean I hate you or I don’t care about you or that I don’t respect your feelings.
    Let’s get this straight. It is a catholic college. They have all the right to put up anything with catholic teachings anywhere.
    If I go to a Jewish or Muslim college and cause problems bc they put a poster expressing their fath. I really don’t think I would have a case.
    I love everyone that is why I respect everyone. My best friends are not catholic.
    But I always talk with the truth. That we can love and care for each other. If I respect you in your beliefs and you respect me.
    It is a catholic college and nothing hateful is in that poster. It is a catholic teaching. Please respect it. I honestly love you!

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