Jehovah's Witness Event--Booked On Graduation Day!

by Voyager 6 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Voyager

  http://www.star.niu.edu/articles/?id=6013

  http://www.star.niu.edu/articles/?id=6013

  ************************************************************************************************

  Jehovah?s Witnesses event booked for graduation day Contract signed eight days before NIU announced merge
  
  

  JENI LODOLCE
  Last year?s three-day District Convention of the Jehovah?s Witnesses "Walk With God" event took place at the Convocation Center. Randy Levering delivered "wholesome activities that refresh" to the crowd of about six thousand people.
  Article by: Nick Swedberg - Senior Reporter ? [email protected]

  NIU officials signed a contract on Feb. 7 for the use of the Convocation Center by Jehovah?s Witnesses on the original date of summer commencement.
  
  The university released an announcement Feb. 15 saying they would combine summer and fall commencement into the Dec. 11 ceremony.
  
  "We noticed a conflict with the date," said John Gordon, Convocation Center director. "We immediately contacted the Provosts and Jehovah?s Witnesses and started talking about moving the Jehovah?s date to the following weekend. The Provosts said to go ahead and see what our options would be. They told us it appeared commencement would be permanently merged."
  
  Department deans received an e-mail from college deans proposing the idea and asking for opinions six days prior to the formal announcement but still two days after the contract was signed.
  
  Vice Provost Earl Seaver, whose office made the decision to combine days, said many factors led to the change.
  
  "The Jehovah?s Witnesses Association was no factor in the change of dates," he said. "We?re looking at the time and energy it takes, the faculty attendance, the staff, the student attendance ? Many schools don?t have a summer commencement; some only have one in May."
  
  Most Illinois colleges already have a policy of combining commencements, Seaver said. He said this would put NIU "into alignment" with other state institutions.
  
  Many students have signed a petition from senior public health major DeAnna McClintock opposing the ceremony change. Several letters to the editor also have been written to the Northern Star expressing outrage over the change.
  
  At Sunday?s Student Association Senate meeting, legislation was introduced to provide a formal statement to the university urging a reconsideration of the decision to merge the summer and fall graduation ceremonies.
• 

  blondie

  Whoever arranged the contract with the WTS goofed. Since commencements happen every year, I'm surprised it didn't occur to the management doing the booking.

  Too bad for the students. I wonder if the WT convention is there this year in 2005?

  Looks like they are going to permanently merge the graduation ceremonies so do you think the WT convention was the real problem or mayble just an excuse the university administration used?

  Blondie
• 

  Voyager

  Blondie:

  Hi Blondie, and thank you for your reply. You certainly hit the nail on the head when you said that somebody (goofed)! Graduation is an event that students plan for well in advance, and anything that throws a wrench into the works is (not) going to set very well with the students or their parents.

  If the JWs wanted to make a (good) name for themselves, they might consider (moving aside) for the students in these regards. But when $$$$ is the issue, then the WTS may not be so willing.

  I am pretty sure that something can be worked out, but whoever it was that was (in-charge) of the planning schedule, needs a refresher course in schedule making. If the WTS is (not) willing to be flexable, it will only cause students to resent JWs even more than they may already!

  Thanks Blondie, and keep up the good work!
• 

  Elsewhere

  I'm amazed that the WTS was not willing to postpone the convention to another weekend! It is obvious they are more interested in making money than ?making a fine witness?.
• 

  Heatmiser

  I am willing to bet it is a multi-year contract they signed with the WTBS for the convention site.
• 

  blondie

  A contract is a contract and it looks like the university made a BIG mistake and money was their goal for sure.

  I'm no WTS lover but fair is fair. I doubt most know what it would take to change the dates, if there are any dates open, the fact that most of the rank and file have already made their reservations at the hotels, that the hotels have already blocked out those particular dates for the convention. The hotels could have their rooms already booked up for any alternate weekends.

  Hotel rooms are at a premium in the Illinois area. I hear complaints from JWs there and in the surrounding areas as to how hard it is to find a room.

  If the students are going to be pi**ed off, they should direct their feelings toward the nincompoops at the university who didn't check their date books.

  BTW, I have secular work experience in organizing and scheduling non-religious conventions. I would have made them stick to the contract unless they wanted to compensate me for the inconvenience.
• 

  Voyager

  Blondie:

  I am inclined to agree. A contract is a contract! I am certainly (no) WTS lover either, but how would someone else feel if they were in the WTS shoes? Wouldn't our first defense be, that the contract was made with us first? Wouldn't we expect the contract to be honored?

  It would be interesting to see if the Watchtower could apply their own counsel to a (non-believer) as they do to a (believer)!

  Watchtower/1986/Nov/15th/page-20/

  Paul said, "altogether a defeat for you." He added: "Why do you not rather let yourselves be wronged? Why do you not rather let yourselves be defrauded?" (1 Corinthians 6:1-8) It is better to suffer financial loss than to bring reproach on Jehovah?s name as well as the congregation and disrupt our unity by taking a believer to court.

  Thanks Blondie!