No more prayer at U of Windsor
Change reflects more inclusive atmosphere
There’s going to be a conspicuous absence at the University of Windsor’s fall convocation ceremony next week: Namely, a prayer.
For the first time in the university’s history, the graduation event won’t include an entreaty to God — nor any other religious reference.
In place of a prayer, the ceremony will have a non-religious request for a moment of reflection.
“I ask that you take a moment to reflect on those who guided you along your path of learning,” the chancellor will read. “To appreciate our families, our teachers, our peers, the world we live in, and all that inspires us.”
According to the university’s Office of Human Rights, Equity and Accessibility, the permanent change is meant to reflect a “more inclusive atmosphere” at the learning institution.
Kaye Johnson, the university’s director of human rights, described the new secular format as “widening the circle.”
“A moment of silent reflection will allow people to use this time as they need to, not as someone else decides,” Johnson said in a news release.
Johnson noted that many other universities have already adopted non- religious approaches to their ceremonies.
“In fact, many people are surprised to find that the convocation ceremony included a prayer,” she said.
On Friday, Johnson said she considers the change “timely.”
“If we only maintained tradition, we wouldn’t have a lot of the advances that our society has made,” she noted.
The decision pleases the Windsor-Essex County Atheist Society, a student-run club.
Shawna Scott, the atheist society’s president and founder, said she feels “reassured that the university actually does take student concerns seriously, and that they strive to respect diversity.”
A graduate student in the university’s clinical psychology program, Scott wrote letters to the human rights office about feeling “extremely excluded and uncomfortable” when she was asked to stand in prayer for her undergraduate convocation in 2010.
Scott wrote that she believes it is “totally unfair and disrespectful” to push prayer at a public university.
Asked on Friday how she feels about tradition and the University of Windsor’s roots as a Roman Catholic institution, Scott said: “You know what? Sometimes re-evaluating tradition is a thing to be done.”
Scott pointed out that the new convocation text still allows attendees to pray, if they count religion as something that inspires them. The major difference is that prayer “is no longer dictated to us.”
Asked how she feels about prayer in other facets of public life — such as city council meetings, remembrance ceremonies and other community events — Scott said she disagrees with that as well.
“Religion should not be mixed into that,” Scott said.
Past University of Windsor convocation ceremonies have made direct references to “Eternal God.”
In the fall convocation of 2011, Rev. Mary Templer of the University Community Church led the audience in a prayer that described God as “the source of all goodness, discipline and knowledge.”
“We pray you to bless this assembly, gathered to recognize achievement, and celebrate life. Bless this and all universities in their quest for excellence. Be with teachers and students everywhere,” Templer recited, finishing with the traditional “Amen.”
The Catholic Campus Ministry didn’t respond before press time to a request for comment on Friday.
Johnson said she didn’t personally consult with the campus ministry about the change, but there were discussions about the issue at other levels in the university administration.
The University of Windsor’s 2012 fall convocation takes place during two ceremonies on Oct. 13 at the St. Denis Centre, 2555 College Ave.
For more information, contact the Office of the Registrar at 519-253-3000 ext. 3315 or download the online flyer at www.uwindsor.ca.