After a 116-year ban on playing the national anthem at school events, Goshen College, a Mennonite Christian college in Indiana, voted in January to begin playing an instrumental version of the song at its sporting events beginning in mid-March.

The decision to play the anthem for the first time in the college’s history has faced both criticism and support from faculty, staff, students and alumni. The anthem will first be introduced to the school during both men’s and women’s softball games.

Goshen never played the national anthem because administrators felt the words associated with combat clashed with the college’s mission and core values as a Mennonite college, said Bill Born, vice president for student life at Goshen. He said the Mennonite faith is a peace church that values pacifism.

The decision to begin playing the anthem was made to respect America’s cultural ritual and to encourage the connection of faith and nationalism on campus, Born said. Another factor was past confusion from the administration and athletes at other colleges that visited Goshen when the anthem was not played.

‘Not playing it created a sense of bewilderment for those who don’t know who we are,’ Born said.

The discussion of whether to change the policy started in September 2008, after the athletic department asked Goshen College President Jim Brenneman to reconsider the current policy. Many of the coaches took a great deal of flak for the silence before the game, Born said, and they often had to explain the school’s stance to other teams.

‘We were putting a lot on our athletic department,’ Born said, ‘We needed to own this issue as a group.’

To approach the decision in the most objective way, a task force of administrators was assigned to assess the situation, Born said. The group suggested playing an instrumental version of the song, followed by a prayer.

The school administrators also felt that by playing the anthem it would create a dialogue and a common bond both within the 1,000-person student body and with other visiting schools, Born said.

Although only an approximate 45 percent of students at Goshen College are Mennonite, Born said there has been a very strong reaction against the decision to play the song, mainly from alumni on online forums.

Since the change was announced, about 900 people have joined the Facebook group ‘Against Goshen College Playing the National Anthem,’ and hundreds have signed an electronic petition to protest the move. In addition, alumni have posted blogs and the campus newspaper has published articles voicing opposition to the change.

Charles Bontrager, a 2008 alumnus of Goshen College, said on the Facebook group that he disagrees with the decision to play the anthem.

‘Traditionally, Mennonites have not participated in the ritual of the anthem,’ Bontranger wrote in the Facebook group. ‘This reflects my own faith as well.’

On one Web site titled ‘Jesus Radicals,’ there is a page to petition against the national anthem being played at Goshen. The Web site accuses the faculty of favoring the athletic division of the college more than the general well-being of the students.

Many student athletes at Goshen encourage the new process, and more than 200 have created a Facebook page supporting it. Comments from the group acknowledged the decision to play an instrumental version as a good compromise.

In a public letter written in response to online protests, Brenneman, Goshen president, said it is part of Goshen’s mission to consider and welcome new perspectives.

Correction: Charles Bontrager is a member of the Facebook group called ‘Discussion of Goshen College and the National Anthem.’ Bontrager said in the Facebook group: ‘For me, the issue is not about theology. Traditionally Mennonites have not participated in the ritual of the anthem. This reflects my own faith as well. However I think that Goshen is much more than just a Mennonite institution. Its loyalty is not just to its heritage but also to the wonderful non-Mennonite students who enrich our (alum or not ‘our’ just sounds right, sorry) campus. Let the athletes decide for themselves whether or not to play the anthem. And let the Mennonites decide for themselves whether or not to participate.’ The Daily Orange regrets this error.

cemcfarl@syr.edu

Published on March 3, 2010 at 12:00 pm