The past couple of years have been an interesting case study in administration at a Christian university. There has been plenty of drama surrounding campus security, national rankings and — as was recently covered by the Graphic — LGBT issues on campus.
There are plenty of instances in which the administration deserved some respectful vitriol, and there are times when professors and coaches have truly, inexcusably messed up.
But there is one aspect of these discussions that has been addressed little: the inherent asymmetry of the administrator-student relationship.
Let’s consider the LGBT student club ReachOUT and the recent lawsuit by Haley Videckis and Layana White against the school earlier this year. Quite a bit of Graphic newsprint has been dedicated to asserting student opinions and analyzing administrative rhetoric around these issues.
But one thing to remember is that the role of the administrator in these situations is a delicate balance of: student opinions, donor views, church doctrine, idealistic notions of morality and education, pragmatic notions of finances and politics, national rankings and how the world views us from outside the bubble. Pepperdine administrators have accepted the idea that Christian mission and a top-tier education can coexist. That alone takes gusto.
But the problem is that these clashing parties do not always understand each other. Go too far toward the Christian right and we risk losing key demographics and its unique voice in the Protestant world. Go too far in the direction of educational prestige without accounting for Christian mission, and it loses an integral part of identity and mission.
Also, if Pepperdine were to emerge overnight as a public supporter of typically leftist ideals to the degree of its most vocal critics, its donor base might dry up, and Pepperdine could cease to meaningfully exist. That is the reality.
So I go back to my original point: The administrator-student relationship is inherently asymmetrical. Students can and should criticize the sometimes esoteric administration. We should not resign to what we perceive to be problems just because it might offend someone. But it does mean we should be patient, understanding and forgiving of those who make decisions and receive no fanfare or thanks for unpopular decisions — right or wrong.
It is sometimes difficult for students to gauge administrative reasoning, and some respond by heaving complaints on social media, Yik Yak and the Graphic. Administrators, however, are constantly aware of how their words can shake the foundations of the respective branches of the institution.
So as we begin a new era of administrative leadership under Dean Feltner, I encourage students to reorient themselves as respectful and habitual critics of the status quo. In the same vein, I have the following message for administrators in light of LGBT issues on campus: It is time. It is time to begin the slow process of integrating LGBT students into campus life in an official capacity. It is time for a slow shift in the direction of responsiveness — and agape from both students and administrators.
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Follow Nate Barton on Twitter: @TheNateBarton
