Faculty, staff, students and alumni protested the commencement address by George W. Bush this weekend at the evangelical Christian run Calvin College. People associated with Calvin, well known for being a fairly conservative campus, should represent the president’s political base. But over 700 people associated with the school signed an advertisement that ran Friday and Saturday in The Grand Rapids Press critical of the president’s policies in Iraq and on poverty at home. The text of the ad is as follows:
Dear President Bush:
We are students, alumni and friends of Calvin College who are deeply troubled that you will be the commencement speaker at Calvin on May 21st. In our view, the policies and actions of your administration, both domestically and internationally over the past four years, violate many deeply held principles of Calvin College.
Calvin is a rigorous intellectual institution, and a truly Christian one. Since its inception in 1876, Calvin has educated its students to use their minds and hearts to transform the world into a "beloved community" where no one is an outcast and all of God's children are cared for. Calvin teaches its students to work for peace and justice, and to be good stewards of God's creation.
By their deeds ye shall know them, says the Bible. Your deeds, Mr. President--neglecting the needy to coddle the rich, desecrating the environment, and misleading the country into war--do not exemplify the faith we live by.
Moreover, many of your supporters are using religion as a weapon to divide our nation and advance a narrow partisan agenda. We are deeply disappointed in your failure to renounce their inflammatory rhetoric.
We urge you not to use Calvin College as a platform to advance policies that violate the school's religious principles. Furthermore, we urge you to repudiate the false claims of supporters who say that those who oppose your policies are the enemies of religion.
The president used he speech to promote volunteerism. Unfortunately, his policies have resulted in the need for more volunteers to address the rising tide of poverty under his watch. His budget policies are opposed by many Christian leaders.
Calvin College professors Randal Jelks and Ruth Groenhout were two of the faculty involved with collecting signatures for the advertisement.
Many graduating seniors were reported to be wearing “God Is Not A Republican… or a Democrat” buttons on their gowns during the commencement address.