“William and Mary belongs to all Virginians, to the nation, and to the world.”
From a resolution unanimously adopted by the W&M Board of Visitors on Nov. 17, 2006
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Gene Nichol’s email confirming order to remove Cross from Wren Chapel
October 27, 2006 -- President Gene R. Nichol confirmed his cross removal order in the following email message to all students at College:
Questions have lately been raised about the use of the Wren Chapel and the cross that is sometimes displayed there.
Let me be clear. I have not banished the cross from the Wren Chapel. The Chapel, as you know, is used for religious ceremonies by members of all faiths. The cross will remain in the Chapel and be displayed on the altar at appropriate religious services.
But the Chapel is also used frequently for College events that are secular in nature--and should be open to students and staff of all beliefs. Whether celebrating our happiest moments, marking our greatest achievements, or finding solace during our most profound sadness, our Chapel, like our entire campus, must be welcoming to all.
I believe a recognition of the full dignity of each member of our diverse community is vital. For this reason, and because the Chapel is surpassing important in William and Mary's history and in the life of our campus, I welcome a broader College discussion of how the ancient Chapel can reflect our best values.
November 17, 2006 -- Nichol reiterated his reasons for directing the cross to be generally stored away and put on display only during appropriate religious services before the Board of Visitors on November 16, 2006:
Though we haven't meant to do so, the display of a Christian cross -- the most potent symbol of my own religion in the heart of our most important building -- sends an unmistakable message that the chapel belongs more fully to some of us than to others. That there are, at the college, insiders and outsiders. Those for whom our most revered place is meant to be keenly welcoming, and those for whom presence is only tolerated.
That distinction, I believe to be contrary to the best values of the college.
It is precisely because the Wren Chapel touches the best in us -- the brightened lamp, the extended hand, the opened door, the call of character, the charge of faith, the test of courage -- that it is essential it belong to everyone. There is no alternate Wren Chapel, no analogous venue, no substitute space. Nor could there be. The Wren is no mere museum or artifact. It touches every student who enrolls at the college, It defines us. And it must define us all.
In the college's family, there are no outsiders. All belong.
SOURCE : Andrew Petkosfy, “W&M president reiterates reasons for cross removal,” Richmond Times-Dispatch, November 17, 2006.