Re: Sodom and Gomorrah in New Haven? [Yale, housing, sex]

Jay Thomas (jpthomas@ix.netcom.com)
Fri, 12 Sep 1997 08:21:53 -0400


Talk about a tempest in a teapot! These five kids knew in advance what
the rules were, and still chose to apply to Yale. Now, suddenly, its
an issue worth suing over? Yale is not an Orthodox Jewish university.
Nor is it a fundamental Christian one. All the Fundamentalist kids I
knew growing up when to Oral Roberts U in Tulsa, or Bob Jones in
Pensacola, or some other smaller bible school, with no alcohol, no
co-ed dorms, etc. I especially like the statement:

> 3,000-year-old rabbinic teachings. Unless Yale waives its residence
> requirement, we may have no choice but to sue the university to protect our
> religious way of life.

No *choice*?! How about something called a TRANSFER? I find it
absolutely amazing that 30 years ago, the parents, or grandparents or
uncles of all these college students were getting their heads bashed
and getting soaked with fire hoses, and getting attacked by dogs, and
having crosses lit on their lawns, just so that their progeny could
live in an America where all viewpoints were tolerated, no one was
forced to sit in a certain section, or ride in the back, or drink from
a different fountain. Now, it seems everywhere we look, even the
smallest ethnic group, religion, etc., has formed its own club,
shouting for their right to, basically, segregate themselves.

Personally, I believe these kids all have ulterior motives in this
instant. I knew lots of kids in school who didn't want to live in the
dorms, and were pissed the school wouldn't let them move off campus.
This sounds like yet another instance of crying "race" to get what you
want. What it boils down to is:

> here,'' he said, ``is saying, `If you don't want it, don't come.'

Rohit Khare wrote:
>
> Original News Report Of Controversy [All from the NYT]:
>
> Orthodox Jews Defy Yale's Housing Rules
>
> By WILLIAM GLABERSON
>
> NEW HAVEN, Conn. - One of the most popular innovations on college campuses
> across the United States a generation ago was the introduction of
> coeducational dormitories and the elimination of rules that tried to keep
> young men and women apart.
> So it may provide an insight into current college life, as classes begin at
> Yale this fall, that one of the most discussed topics is the claim by five
> Orthodox Jewish students that those unrestricted living arrangements have
> established a free-for-all that they compare to Sodom and Gomorrah.
<snip>

[Jay]