Religious conflicts at Loyola can sometimes have fiscal consequences.

Loyola gets some of its funds from alumni donations, often requested by phone.

“Phoneathon is about raising money for the university, especially scholarships. A lot of it goes to the Loyola fund, which is construction, scolarships, professors’ pay. It’s like everything that Loyola does,” said Maddy Moore, psychology junior, Phoneathon employee and Maroon advertising sales representative. “It also helps keep alumni updated on Loyola and connected to the community, as well as giving them a chance to voice their concerns.”

Sometimes, however, alumni choose not to donate due to religious objections.

Meredith Hartley, director of the Office of Public Affairs and External Relations, said in an email that the alumni objections sometimes result from speakers who are not directly affiliated with the university.

“Sometimes a small segment of alumni donors disagree with certain speakers who are invited to our campus. The presence of an outside speaker on campus does not imply Loyola’s endorsement of that speaker’s views,” Hartley said.

Hartley said she believes this is connected with the clash between Catholic values and academic freedom.

“We share our alumni’s commitment to Catholic teachings, but sometimes alumni do not fully understand the role of a Catholic university. Consistent with our role as a Catholic Jesuit institution of higher education, Loyola is committed to academic freedom, which supports the freedom of inquiry, the free expression of ideas, and openness and engagement with the wider world,” Hartley said.

Hartley cites the Rev. Adolfo Nicolas, S.J., Superior General of the Society of Jesus, who said that, “We are invited to be aware of the action of God in places and people about which we never would have thought, to discover that he is ‘interested in every parched area of the world.'”

Hartley said that, although event at Loyola can have adverse effects on alumni contribution, they can also have positive consequences.

“Alumni who give to Loyola and designate their gift to specific religious programs understand how important the Jesuit Catholic mission of seeing God in all things is to the university, and they want to help us nurture that and incorporate it as much as possible into our community and our campus environment,” Hartley said.

Hartley said she favors the same open dialogue as Nicolas.

“As a Jesuit university, we are committed to raising fundamental questions of right and wrong, arguing about them and making informed decisions while we work toward a resolution. By engaging in open dialogue on a campus with a distinctly Jesuit tradition, we are listening to and conversing about aspects of the human experience so that we may understand it and improve upon it in the long run,” Hartley said.

Daniel Quick can be reached at [email protected]