An article by The College Fix reports the university announced over the summer it would form a special advisory group after a doctoral student created a Catholic Mass-themed drag show for his dissertation. The drag show entitled “The Mass of Perpetual Indulgence” was produced by graduate student Joseph Willette, who is homosexual, and who earned his doctoral degree based on the project.
In a July 15 letter to Bishop James Conley, Chancellor Rodney Bennett defended freedom of expression, and freedom of speech, but also conceded those rights come with “tremendous responsibility.”
The chancellor’s letter also announced an advisory group was being organized. Its mission would be to advise the university on the “most effective ways and best practices in addressing sensitive and often emotional matters for which there are strong convictions.”
Now that the calendar has rolled to October, The College Fix contacted numerous university officials for an update on the advisory group. The education website reports it did not get any response after several attempts to do so.
Matt Lamb, editor-in-chief of The College Fix, says Willette’s performance drew about 20 people.
“He almost had more musicians than people show up to this liberal Lutheran church in Nebraska,” Lamb, who is Catholic, tells AFN.
The university made a “serious mistake” when it granted Willette a degree for “low-quality music” that targeted Catholics and their faith, he adds.
