The Dear Dr. Taylor Campaign

Dear Dr. Westmoreland,

Before I composed this letter, I read through so many others from students, faculty and fellow alumni. Each one is beautiful, each one a wonderfully human piece of truth. As I read, I was struck again by a reality that I have stumbled on over and over again since I graduated: so many of us struggled silently with our identities while at Samford and only came to terms with who we are after leaving. As silly as it sounds now, I thought I was the only one--or at least one of a very, very few. I thought my uncertainties and fears were unique. I've come to learn over the past few years that, entirely unbeknownst to me, I was surrounded by students facing the same uncertainties and the same fears in the same silence. The group leader I had a crush on under the guise of "admiration for her leadership;" the guy in one of my classes who constantly made me laugh; the girl a few years younger than me that I passed in the hall so many times; even one of my close friends, with whom I had innumerable philosophical and theological conversations--we were all just trying to figure out how to reconcile what we believed and what we felt. 

It would be funny if it weren't so sad. 

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Dear Dr. Westmoreland, 

Even before I chose to attend Samford, I knew you were a university president who cared deeply about the welfare of his students. On Scholars Day, I was bedridden with a 104 degree temperature and distraught that I couldn’t make my scholarship interview. That afternoon, Samford’s admissions office called to tell me they had all been praying for me. Two days later, I received a copy of Leading by Design that you had signed to me. That event set Samford apart from every other university I was considering. When I made my decision—which involved turning down a full scholarship and $20,000 stipend at another liberal arts college—I remember telling my parents, “You can learn at any university, but this is a place that cares.” 

During my time at Samford, my peers and I referred to you as a “president of the people.” We felt that, even though the university experienced the typical friction between students and administration, you personally listened to and valued the opinions of your student body. From the day of the freshman ice cream social to the day you graciously allowed my social psych group to film you for an Inception parody to the day you handed me the President’s Cup at my graduation, I had the utmost respect for you. I still do respect you, and I know that I can only partly comprehend the tremendous amount of pressure you must feel on all sides regarding the issue of Samford Together.

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Dear Dr. Westmoreland,

I write as an alumna from the class of 2006. I was active in Student Ministries, Residence Life, and Step Sing, studied Sociology and German, learned to swim for exercise, and loved my experience at Samford until major depression pushed me into a very dark place and almost derailed my degree completion.

Before choosing to attend Samford, I was already aware that I was attracted to women. As someone who was raised in a conservative, Southern Baptist household in Alabama, this attraction was distressing to say the least. In fact, it was so upsetting that I changed my mind about attending Judson College (where I would be surrounded entirely by women) and selected Samford instead.

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Dear Dr. Westmoreland,

I would like to discuss the phrase that I have been told too many times to count and that has defined my past year as a student at your school. I have wrestled with this phrase and the underlying idea it represents for a while, though most critically since you announced your decision last month.

It’s just too polarizing.

I agree, it seems like almost every conversation, idea, and person was polarizing to someone in some aspect this year. From the 2016 election to the topic of LGBTQ+ rights on our campus, I am sure you have felt the pressure of this word as much as I have. I know you too have felt a strong need to make peace and bring people together; to ease the polarization present in our community and our society. Moreover, I approve and I agree with your desire to unite Samford students, faculty, administration, alumni, and trustees, and I understand why such intense polarization is difficult and daunting.

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Dear Dr. Westmoreland,

Samford taught me about silence. At Samford I was introduced to the reality that, even if a thought interested me, it didn’t necessarily need to fly off my tongue. While I’ve yet to fully internalize this lesson, Samford’s rigorous academics (thanks, Dr. Borden and Dr. Bass!) taught me to cull my verbosity, and Samford’s contemplative worship (thanks, Brennan Manning and Shiloh!) helped me slow down, listen, and appreciate silence’s value.

My mother often speaks of the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit. While we don’t always agree theologically, my mom and I do agree that much can be learned from listening for that Spirit’s guidance. Indeed, it was in contemplative silence on a University Ministries retreat that I first named the realization that I was queer.

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Dear Dr. Westmoreland,

I know you feel that you are choosing the best road for Samford and it students by denying Samford Together. However, I still worry deeply about individuals who will be affected by this ruling. I am talking about the Samford students who are going through this experience with their heads down and their hearts guarded in a closet, trying to just make their way through the difficulties ahead while many of them feel that have to pretend to be someone they’re not.

I had a friend in high school who was a strong and intelligent woman, but she suffered from the pressure of trying to deny her identity as a lesbian. All this suffering pushed her away from joy, kindness, love, and it eventually took her life through overdose. I have a way too familiar understanding of the price of this pain now: seeing my friend’s mother grieve over her child so horrifically lost to her and seeing how our friends fell into chasms of hopelessness after her death. I see this story reflected in every Samford student who does not fit the mold of Samford perfectly. I see them struggling, I see them fighting, and I see them trying to do their best. I also see my friend’s face in theirs, and I know all too well the very real risk that they could one day become too overwhelmed.

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Dear Dr. Westmoreland,

Let me begin by saying that I have spent a great deal of time imagining all of this from your perspective. What a difficult place you are in. You must feel a great deal of pressure from every direction, and it can't be easy. I respect the time and thought you have put into wrestling with this issue, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart. I was a student at Samford when you first arrived and, although we had limited interaction, I remember observing your words and actions and feeling proud to have such a wise and thoughtful leader like yourself at the helm of our great university. Samford is incredibly blessed to have your stewardship and vision guiding them each day.

I would like to ask for a brief moment of your time to let me share my story so that you too may have a chance to let another perspective bring you the opportunity to exercise empathy and compassion. Please know that it is difficult for me to recount some of this, but I believe it is important and I trust that you will receive it with an open heart and an open mind.
 

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Dear Dr. Westmoreland,

You and I had the pleasure of first meeting in person when you graciously gave me $5 at the Senior Leadership Honoree Banquet in 2009. I had been asked by one of the trustees to speak publicly about the fortunate timeliness of my arrival to narrate the Advent Service earlier that evening and my subsequent need for new tights. You see, (as you may remember), traffic was not budging on Hwy 31, and rather than miss the event I had been nominated by faculty to narrate, I parked on the side of the highway, took off my high heels, and sprinted to the service in my dress. The bottoms of my tights were in shreds from the journey, but I made it. One of the trustees requested I share the story at the banquet, which resulted in your gracious and much-needed donation. You and I spoke again briefly following my speech at Samford's Baccalaureate my senior year, though no $5 tight donation followed this brief exchange.

Needless to say, I think highly of you and remain grateful for your leadership at Samford. I daresay few other universities of our size have presidents who handwrite cards of encouragement to each Samford student on their birthday as you do. You clearly care about the faculty and students under your leadership, and that matters to us more than you will ever know.

In knowing and trusting your leadership, I want to be brave in disclosing to you formative aspects of my time at Samford that did not involve banquets with the deans and trustees or speaking in front of my senior class.

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Dear Dr. Westmoreland,

When I first chose Samford University to be my collegiate home, I was a fairly conservative Christian, raised in an evangelical denomination and a firm believer of most of the views that the university espouses with respects to sexual orientation and gender identity. I thought that I could be compassionate toward people while silently judging their identities. I thought I could be accepting of people while rejecting core parts of their selves. I thought that my interpretation of the Bible (which had been handed down to me by generations of tradition) was the only standard for “Christian” living. By the time I walked across the stage to receive my diploma, I was a radically different person, with radically different beliefs, and a radically different perspective. I am more proud of the person I am now than I ever was of the person I used to be, and I have my experience at Samford to thank for that.

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Dear Dr. Westmoreland,

During my senior year at Samford, I lived in a large house that was owned by the university. My roommates and I were enthusiastic students, high achievers, and campus leaders. Shortly after your arrival at Samford, we invited you, your wife, and your daughter to dine with us in that home. We were very excited and honored that you accepted the invitation to share a meal with us.

Unfortunately, my memories of the evening are somewhat hazy as I was going through a particularly difficult time. I had known that I’m gay for about 2 years when you came to our house that night and sat down for food and conversation. I had been living in a closet of fear for far too long, and it had taken a serious toll on me. The thing I remember most about my senior year at Samford isn’t graduation day, getting excited about my bright future, or enjoying the final months with my friends on campus. The thing I remember most was feeling like I no longer wanted to live. I remember thinking that dying must be less painful than living hidden away, clutching this secret to my chest.

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Dear Dr. Westmorland,

I hope this letter finds you well and in good spirits. My name is Paige Van de Vuurst, and though you probably don’t remember me, I am a recent graduate of Samford University’s Howard College of Arts and Science. I graduated in 2016; not so long ago even though it feels like an eternity, and have since been working in Tanzania. I’m currently working as a Peace Corps Volunteer in a little village called Itulahumba as a secondary school teacher. I’ve been teaching biology and English here for about a year, and I can honestly say that it’s the most rewarding and simultaneously most difficult job I’ve ever had. I’m not writing to you today, however, as a Peace Corps Volunteer but as member of the Samford family. Today I write to you as a former student and current alumni. I’m writing to you as a humble member of the elite group of individuals that Samford at its core is and as a fellow compassionate human being; and I pray that these words reach you over the oceans they have traveled from my humble home in a country far from 800 Lakeshore Drive.

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Dear Dr. Westmoreland:

I must address you anonymously because although you have expressed a desire for dialogue, many faculty and staff are officially gagged in this matter and threatened, professionally, for our principled dissent. Meanwhile, multiple internal and external sources have claimed that we support your anti-equality political views (you can’t credibly attribute them to “a Christian worldview” when most of the Christians in this community stand in passionate opposition). There will be no progress in this matter while you threaten your employees. With a single email message to the entire community, you could remove the gags, condemn the threats, and solicit the free exchange of ideas any legitimate university represents.

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Dear President Westmoreland:

I am writing to express my extreme disappointment in your decision in regards to the Samford Together student organization.

As a member of the Samford University Class of 1995, I have been involved with the institution I love for two-thirds of my life. While at Samford, I attended a London semester, sang in Acapella Choir, and married a Samford woman in a ceremony officiated by a Samford religion professor. I returned to Samford for my first professional position as a librarian and taught in the former School of Music. As a white, baptist, cisgender male, I was the very model of a Samfordian and my place in Samford was never questioned. Indeed, I never had a reason to question my own sexual identity or orientation. Only when I came out of the fog of homogeneity did I realize that many of my Samford undergraduate friends and professional colleagues spent years hiding their own pain and suppressing questions about their identities for fear of being shunned.

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Dear Dr. Westmoreland,

Like many Samford alumni, I found myself paying rather close attention to the events that unfolded this summer concerning my alma mater, the group Samford Together, and the Alabama Baptist State Convention. Instead of merely being a passive observer, however, I wanted to take a moment to express to you some of the concerns that these events have generated for me.

Since graduating in 2012, I have been a member of the group SAFE Samford, an organization that promotes LGBTQ inclusion and equality at Samford. It has long been my hope that Samford can be a place of learning, community, and growth for all, regardless of their sexual orientation. As such, I was delighted to hear of the faculty’s approval of the student group Samford Together – albeit somewhat dismayed that they felt the only chance at becoming a true student organization was to present themselves in such a passive and milquetoast manner.

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Dear Dr. Westmoreland,

My name is Annie Lockwood, I was in the same class (2012) as your daughter Riley. We lived on the same hall freshman year, and I came over to your home once to play Rock Band.

When I chose Samford, I thought I would be in a place where I could possibly grow academically and spiritually. Reality hit when I arrived on campus, and I felt out of place. My perception was that my feelings as a Christian and as a long time LGBTQ ally didn't align with the university and many of my peers. Even though I felt out of place, I found a community within the journalism department and through slowly finding friends who were LGBTQ and allies. Unfortunately, so many people felt ashamed or scared to truly live out who they truly are that it felt secretive to share who were truly are. Frankly, no one should have to fear for sharing their identity.

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Dear Dr. Westmoreland,

I love my alma mater. The faculty there pushed me to question my paradigm, think critically, and and act with bravery and kindness. Your deeply disappointing decision regarding SAFE Samford does not reflect that spirit of inquiry, fairness, and love.

I write as a 2010 Samford alum, a PhD candidate in English at the University of Kentucky, and an ally of LGBTQ+ friends and family.

I'm in graduate school, doing what I love the most--teaching, writing, and reading--because of outstanding professors at Samford. I used to dream of returning to campus as a professor and continuing the vital work of teaching and mentoring at a school I love dearly.

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Dear Dr. Westmoreland,

My name is Elissa England (formerly Young), and I graduated with honors from Samford University in 2008. Since my time at Samford, I have tried to stay involved and connected with those I was close to, including the English Department, London Study Programs and various professors and staff members employed by your institution. I consider my time at Samford a happy time and am grateful for all I learned, the friendships cultivated and memories shared as a student there.

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Dear Dr. Westmoreland,

I write to you as both a Samford alumna (class of 1991) and as a college educator.  If free intellectual inquiry cannot take place at a university, then I do not know where it can take place.  Samford Together seeks to create a space where Samford students, faculty, and staff members can discuss human sexuality in a safe and respectful manner.  It is the perfect example of students taking the lead in exploring truth and showing grace to each other.  I humbly request that Samford Together receive an up-or-down vote from the university’s board of trustees as any other student group seeking recognition would receive.

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Dear Dr. Westmoreland,

I was a graduate of Samford in 2006. I look back on my years at Samford fondly. One of the things I share with people is that Samford felt like family. The size of the school, the collective longing for community, and the overall attitude of the staff all contributed to me feeling loved and safe there. 

Safe. it is important for humans to feel safe. As young children develop safety is crucial. As 19 year olds are entering their years at Samford I know you want them to feel safe and supported. 

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Dr. Westmoreland,

I would encourage you to have the courage and conviction to do the right thing in not just bringing Samford Together's recognition before the board but to throw your full weight and support behind the group's existence and recognition. As the leader of a place of higher learning and a place where open discussions are the very point of a university, I implore you to bring Samford University onto the right side of history. 

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