President Jo Ann Gora’s full statement:
“We know that the issues involved in HJR-6 are highly charged and that people on both sides of the issue have strongly held beliefs. That is why we felt it was important to engage the University Senate and to hear from the campus community. I agree with the senate’s resolution. Diversity, inclusion and tolerance are core values of the university. But as the resolution states, they are also sound business practices. We have seen major Hoosier employers such as Cummins and Eli Lilly express concern that the bill will hamper the state’s ability to attract businesses and talented employees, and the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce agrees. I believe Ball State is doing the right and moral thing by expressing opposition to HJR-6, but it is also sound policy that is consistent with our core values. We will continue to reaffirm our commitment to diversity and tolerance.”
Ball State President Jo Ann Gora spoke against House Joint Resolution 6 for both moral and economic reasons, saying the university will reaffirm it’s commitment to diversity and tolerance.
HJR-6 would write Indiana’s law banning same-sex marriage into the state constitution, also jeopardizing civil unions and domestic partnerships.
“Diversity, inclusion and tolerance are core values of the university,” Gora said in her statement. “But as the resolution states, they are also sound business practices. … I believe Ball State is doing the right and moral thing by expressing opposition to HJR-6, but it is also sound policy that is consistent with our core values.”
Gora’s statement was made after input from the university governance system. The Faculty Council and University Senate both passed recommendations to the administration to take a stance against HJR-6.
On Oct. 31, Provost Terry King made a statement to the Faculty Council, encouraging university governance to address HJR-6.
“The administration feels strongly that Ball State must continue to be a welcoming and inclusive institution for all faculty members, students and staff,” King’s statement said.
The Student Government Association also was involved, passing a resolution to the University Senate after reaching out to about 1,000 students for input. The resolution carried 324 student sponsors, a number the SGA pro tempore said he has never seen.
“I would say there was a much larger number of sponsors due to the controversial topic,” Jack Hesser said. “I’ve never seen more than 20 sponsors on a resolution, which is typically a respectful amount.”
The three recommendations were taken to the University Senate meeting Thursday, where the group voted 51 to 9 with one abstention that the administration should publicly oppose HJR-6.
Both the recommendation passed by University Senate and Gora’s statement addressed Ball State’s need to attract talented faculty — HJR-6, if passed by the legislature and by voters in November 2014, would make Ball State less attractive.
The statement passed by University Senate said Ball State “supports the goals of the Freedom Indiana organization.”
In her statement, Gora did not mention Freedom Indiana, which is a statewide coalition dedicated to defeating HJR-6. The group is made up of business and faith leaders, community organizations and individuals.
Call to Action, an on-campus educational and awareness group for political issues in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community, was one of the first to sponsor the SGA resolution.
Secretary AJ Owens said he thinks Gora’s statement backs up Ball State’s commitment to diversity.
“I think its important for the LGBT community to feel that we are students that also matter to them,” Owens said. “This was the next step to Ball State making campus a really inclusive place.”
Owens said he was slightly surprised to see the vote because he thought Ball State wouldn’t want to make a political statement.
After the University Senate meeting Thursday, Gora said there was some concern of an official stance negatively affecting the university.
“I would certainly hope that taking a principle stance would not be used against the university [in funding, etc.],” she said.
Gora also said she hopes the legislature will consider the statements made by Ball State, Indiana University, DePauw University, Wabash College, Eli Lilly, Cummins and the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce.
“I think it’s important for legislators to realize that in many parts of the state, there is a strong feeling that this is not the right way to go forward,” she said.
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