The Prospector (Helena, Mont.) 1916-2015, April 26, 2006, Image 3

WWW.CARROLL.EDU ÍHE PROSPECTOR EDITORIAL: TAILORING THE TRUTH DIGGING FOR KNOWLEDGE by ben fuglevand intern writer In 1999 the US Conference of Catholic Bishops adopted Ex Corde Ecclesiae- the Vatican's guidelines for Catholic colleges and universities-as its official position. In doing so, the aca­ demic freedom inherent in Catholic education was effective­ ly placed secondary to any and all official Vatican position. The adoption of these guide­ lines may point to a recent, even greater move within the Catholic Church: namely the attempt by certain powers to portray for­ ward thinking or oppositional points of view as immoral. Yet, many Catholics and non- Catholics alike seem unaware of this growing struggle. Even fewer it seems are aware of its possible presence here at Carroll College. Last September Carroll College President Thomas J. Trebon pulled a representative of Planned Parenthood from a pub­ lic symposium on life issues. I assumed, as did many stu­ dents, that Trebon's decision was motivated in fact by money. He didn't want the college losing donations from its more conser­ vative benefactors by discussing such a controversial issue as abortion. Money may have had little to do with it. Trebon m aintains th at the decision to pull Planned Parenthood was his alone, but events leading up to the speaker's removal seem to contradict his assertion. One faculty source stated that in the summer months before the conference, Trebon verbally OK'd the Planned Parenthood representative's attendance. It was not until September, two weeks prior to the conference, that Trebon reversed himself. Why did he wait so long? Sources in the administration indicate that Trebon's decision to ban the Planned Parenthood rep­ resentative from the conference occurred soon after he received a call from Bishop George L. Thomas. While nothing can be proved about President Trebon's conver­ sation with the Bishop, the series of 'coincidences' is nonetheless striking. Bishop Thomas was subse­ quently on campus this spring talking with faculty and staff about the meaning of Carroll's role as a diocesan college and sources say he m aintained his opposition to having Planned Parenthood on campus and would exert pressure to keep other controversial groups off as well. While the role religious politics played in this act of censorship remains unclear, it's hard not to wonder if Trebon actually had much choice in the matter. It may be th at the Planned Parenthood debacle was one instance of a much greater power struggle going on w ithin the Church. Recent events of orthodox reform at other Catholic colleges and universities seem to give cre­ dence to this uncomfortable pos- TRUTH continued on page 16 by robert padmos intern writter The Carroll College anthropol­ ogy department is getting hands on this summer. Beginning in May, an archeo­ logical survey class will give Carroll students the opportunity to get a little dirt, and possibly some history, under their nails. Dr. Laurie Travis, an adjunct anthropology professor at Carroll, is running the archeolog­ ical survey this summer in the Elkhorn Mountains. The field school is part of Carroll's sum­ mer program and will run from May 22 to June 9. Travis has spent six years at Carroll, mainly teaching Archeology and Cultural Anthropology She started the field school two years ago. Travis said the field school is an opportunity for students to get out of the books and be a part of uncovering history. \The purpose of the class is to give students the chance to expe­ rience w hat archeology is all about, and to get their hands dirty,\ said Travis. \There is a difference between physically being there and reading it in a text book.\ According to Travis, partici­ pation in the class is not limit­ ed to current Carroll students. \The class is open to all stu­ dents, as well as any interested members of the Helena com­ munity,\ said Travis. The archeological survey class will focus on three histori­ cal sites. The first site is an early Montana homestead dating back to 1870. At the second site, students will also study and document a pictograph panel located in the Elkhorn Mountains. Finally, the students will dig an early archaic site th at is dated between 6,000 and 8,000 years old. According to Travis, the sites were chosen for their historical significance and need for arche­ ological survey. \The sites were chosen by the Montana Parks D epartment, as areas th at needed to be researched and documented,\ said Travis. w i í RK5SS8S8 í 3! w 38&¡*[ 44Í-0662 800-550-4900 MM$£. i U ws! rf mi éwtteBií oiíffiíi s 1 »ámitate I (i W ednesday , A pril 26, 2006 VOLUME 89, NO. 7