Ad Unitatem: Toward Unity
Welcome back, Bears! Or to some of you, welcome for the first time! I’m Rev. Dr. Malcolm Foley, special advisor to Baylor President Linda A. Livingstone for equity and campus engagement, and my main job is to make sure that you have what you need to get a quality education at Baylor University! Along with my colleagues, we are seeking to thoughtfully shape policies and processes so that Baylor thrives and you continue to succeed.
Ad Unitatem means “toward unity,” and as a campus community in the midst of a fraught and polarized society, it would be nice to see some examples of unity. But this is only possible with your help. We will only be a just, equitable and welcoming community if you can commit to that goal.
Why just? A commitment to justice in many ways sums up the moral commands of the Christian Scriptures. We are told by the prophet Micah that there are a few things that God requires of us — that we “act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with our God” (Micah 6:8). Jesus, in his Sermon on the Mount, reminds us that those who are truly happy are those who hunger and thirst after justice (Matthew 5:6). But what does that mean for a student or a faculty or staff member at Baylor? Simply, it means that when you see your fellow student, fellow staff member, fellow faculty member or any of your fellow human beings in need, you should move toward them instead of away from them. You should seek to use the gifts that you have been given for their uplift. It applies to your life in the residence halls, in the classroom, in the hallways, on the Quad…everywhere you go!
Why equitable? We live in a society that is eager to categorize. We have categorized one another by race, ethnicity and a vast number of other ways. The primary reason for that is to obscure the fact that Christ has given us one category for one another: neighbor. Yet we live in a world that continues to divide out resources and opportunity in unjust ways. So what does that mean for you as a Baylor Bear? It means that when you don’t have the resources that you need to flourish, remember that you are in a caring Christian community with the resources you need. So feel free to ask! When you do well, we all do well.
Why welcoming? We have all come to campus with diverse life experiences and diverse ways of thinking. While we are used to seeing such a state of affairs end in conflict, for us this diversity is an opportunity for learning and for growth as we seek the truth together. One of the reasons that we as a campus will have a number of events surrounding civil and compassionate discourse this year is that part of loving one’s neighbor is walking with them and learning to see as they do. It doesn’t mean they’re always right, but it does mean that you’re willing to consider that possibility. If all of this is present, paired with a commitment to justice and equity, then we can continue to build a community where everyone indeed is welcome!
That we are a diverse community is a fact. There are many diverse communities in the world. But there are few where difference is seen not as a category for inferiority or superiority but as a category of opportunity. Opportunity to serve, opportunity to learn and opportunity to grow. May the Baylor community be such a community!
Sic’ em, Bears!