We have forwarded our petition, signatures, and messages to President Synder and other important community leaders, including the Archbishop of Los Angeles José H. Gomez. The following messages came in to us too late to be included, but we post them now so that their voices of concern may be heard.

One message read:

I can no longer support LMU financially nor recommend it as a “Catholic” university. The current administration’s recent actions make it impossible. There no longer seems to be the “commitment to Roman Catholicism and the Judeo-Christian tradition” that you tout. St. Ignatius must be turning over in his grave to see a Jesuit university turning away from basic Catholic doctrine. Shame on President Snyder and the Board!

Another reads:

A fundraiser for Planned Parenthood, and now this! How can you continue to call LMU a Catholic university?

And another:

I donate to LMU as a Catholic University. Though I applaud free exchange of ideas and discussions in an academic setting, it appears that the university is abandoning it’s commitment to being a Catholic university first and foremost. This will certainly affect my willingness to donate in the future. I pray that LMU will reconsider the direction that it is headed.

And another:

Dear President Snyder,
Apart from what’s already stated, I urge you in the strongest terms possible to restore the Catholic mission statement language that used to exist at LMU. A blunt — if not crass — question places it all into proper perspective. What is LMU’s raison d’etre? For that matter, what is any so-called “Catholic” institution’s reason for existing, if not to proclaim loudly and live unapologetically its Catholic Identity and Mission. Surely, LMU does not exist merely to be yet another credible secular school!!! The nation and world are full of high quality secular state schools where one can obtain a top-notch education at a fraction of the cost. Indeed, the “something extra” reflected in the tuition cost differential is traceable to the moral Catholic component. Conversely, if you abandon the Catholic nature and mission focus of the school, there is no real reason for students to pay elevated tuition at LMU; one could pay far less tuition at a quality State school, receive a comparable education (or better, depending on the school), and pay a fraction of the cost.

Another letter reads:

This is unconscionable. The very faith which built your school is now to be deleted and denied? Before the cock crows… we are very disappointed in your lack of moral courage for our faith and the values that built your University. Until you stand up for those values we will make sure to tell our Catholic friends and family to look elsewhere when it comes to educating our youth.

Thank you for the overwhelming number of messages and letters of support. The more you circulate the information you find at renewlmu.com, the better.

We are determined to hold President Synder publicly accountable for what he does and what he fails to do.