When Santa suits up in shopping malls, Christmas jingles dominate the radio airwaves and Ralphie Parker is continually warned not to shoot his eye out with a Red Ryder BB gun in television movie marathons, it’s officially the holiday season. University students are further cued the holidays are rapidly approaching by the display of decorations around campus. But the 50-foot tree in front of Memorial Tower and wreaths on the Paul M. Hebert Law Center and campus gates don’t spread the holiday cheer to everyone. “For Christians who take their religion seriously, I think those wreaths and those Christmas trees have a significant religious meaning to them,” said Stuart Green, law professor. “State universities – particularly state law schools – ought not to be endorsing or promoting any particular religion.” Green, who is not a Christian, said he does not celebrate Christmas. He said he respects others’ rights to celebrate the holiday but does not feel it is appropriate for the University to display decorations. Green said the University could technically be held legally responsible if the decorations offend people. He said he believes the decorations violate the First Amendment’s establishment clause, which states the government shall neither establish nor endorse a particular religion. “Adding symbols of Jewish practices or Hindu or Buddhist [holidays], I think, compounds the problem rather than solves [it],” Green said. “I think the solution is that universities shouldn’t be in the business of putting up really any kind of religious symbols at all.” Kristine Calongne, director of public affairs, said the University will hold the annual candlelight celebration Tuesday night. She said the celebration will incorporate Kwanzaa and will include the lighting of the Hanukkah Menorah. “We’re very aware of diversity here at LSU, and that’s a big part of our Flagship Agenda,” Calongne said. “I think the decorations are just to be in the holiday spirit. I don’t think it’s anything beyond that.” Erin DeBosier, owner of Red Door Interiors, said this year is the first time her company is responsible for decorating the tree in front of Memorial Tower. “We are focusing on it being an LSU tree as opposed to another entity such as Christianity,” said DeBosier. “It’s going to be [decorated with] more purple and gold [this year].” Haitham Solh, president of the Muslim Student Association, said he is not offended by the decorations on campus. He said he feels Christmas has become more of a secular holiday, and he said he expected it to be prominent in American culture before coming to the United States. “I think it’s celebrating the American way of life,” Solh said. He said Christmas decorations receive little resistance because Christians are in the majority. He said if the University decorated for a minority faith’s important holiday, more people would be upset. Daniel Novak, interim director of Jewish studies and faculty adviser of the Jewish student organization Hillel, said he is not offended by Christmas decorations because the holiday has become “largely devoid of religion.” “But you do realize you’re not part of the mainstream in some way [when you see Christmas decorations],” Novak said. “The fact that they’re decorating does indicate a bias towards a majority Christian orientation.” Novak said Hanukkah is not as important of a holiday in Judaism as Christmas is in the Christian faith, and he would like to see the University adapt celebrations of the more important Jewish holidays – such as Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah – rather than promote the less important holidays occurring near Christmas. “It’s a nice gesture, and it comes from a really good place that people want to include other faiths in the decorations and in the recognition of the holiday season,” Novak said. “But I’d rather that well-meaning energy and well-meaning recognition of diversity be better directed.” Mandy Trammell, associate director of the Baptist Collegiate Ministry, said Christmas decorations are not meant to be offensive. “[The religious connection] doesn’t even cross my mind when I see those decorations,” Trammel said. “They’re part of the culture, and they don’t have a whole lot of religious significance to us.” Of the 12 universities other than LSU in the Southeastern Conference, seven have some prominent, institution-wide holiday decorations – such as tree lighting ceremonies – according to a representative from each university. The universities of Georgia, Kentucky and Vanderbilt do not have centralized decorations, but some departments may decorate on their own. Green said he believes the University should be dedicated to educating students to become better residents and understand the Constitution. “If certain segments of the University are marginalized or made to feel that they’re not part of the community by the over display of sectarian religious symbols, I think that’s a problem,” Green said.
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