Dear Fr. Jenkins and Richard Notebaert,
As you will be aware, the Bishop Daniel Jenky, a member of Notre Dame's Board of Fellows, has been widely quoted for a homily in which he described President Obama as "seem[ing] intent on following a similar path" to Hitler and Stalin. Jenky's comments demonstrate ignorance of history, insensitivity to victims of genocide and absence of judgment.
We accept that Jenky's comments are protected by the First Amendment, but we find it profoundly offensive that a member of our beloved University's highest authority, the Board of Fellows, should compare the president's actions with those whose genocidal policies murdered tens of millions of people, including the specific targeting of Catholics, Jews and other minorities for their faith.
We request that you issue a statement on behalf of the University that will definitively distance Notre Dame from Jenky's incendiary statement. Further, we feel that it would be in the best interest of Notre Dame if Jenky resigned from the University's Board of Fellows if he is unwilling to renounce loudly and publicly this destructive analogy.
Sincerely,
Francisco Aragón, Institute for Latino Studies
Carolina Arroyo, Political Science
Katrina Barron, Mathematics
Laura Bayard, Library
Gail Bederman, History
Patricia Blanchette, Philosophy
Susan Blum, Anthropology
Keith Bradley, Classics
Kevin Burke, Institute for Education Initiatives
Joseph Buttigieg, English
William Carbonaro, Sociology
Robert Coleman, Art, Art History and Design
James Collins, Film, Television and Theater
Frank Connolly, Mathematics
Olivia Remie Constable, History
Suzanne M. Coshow, Management
Mary Rose D'Angelo, Theology
Fred Dallmayr, Political Science and Philosophy
Michael R. DePaul, Philosophy
Michael Detlefsen, Philosophy
Jean Dibble, Art, Art History and Design
Bernard Doering, Emeritus, Romance Languages and Literature
Margaret Doody, English
Julia Douthwaite, Romance Languages and Literature
Kevin Dreyer, Film, Television and Theater
John Duffy, English
Stephen M. Fallon, Program of Liberal Studies and English
Barbara J. Fick, Law School
Christopher Fox, English and Irish Studies
Judith Fox, Law School
Stephen Fredman, English
Laura Fuderer, Library
Agustin Fuentes, Anthropology
Patrick Gaffney, Anthropology
Jill Godmilow, Film, Television and Theater
Robert Goulding, Program of Liberal Studies
Daniel Graff, History
Karen B. Graubart, History
Stuart Greene, English
David Hachen, Sociology
Christopher Hamlin, History
Richard Herbst, Law School
Peter Holland, Film, Television and Theater
Raúl Jara, Institute for Latino Studies
Lionel M. Jensen, East Asian Languages and Cultures
Felicia Johnson-O'Brien, Center for Social Concerns
Anton Juan, Film, Television and Theatre
Asher Kaufman, History and Peace Studies
Kathryn Kerby-Fulton, English
Janet A. Kourany, Philosophy
Thomas Kselman, History
Daniel Lapsley, Psychology
Julia Marvin, Program of Liberal Studies
Diana Matthias, Snite Museum
James J. McKenna, Anthropology
Maria McKenna, Africana Studies
Mark McKenna, Law School
Sarah McKibben, Irish Studies
Rory McVeigh, Sociology
Jenny Mish, Marketing
Darcia Narvaez, Psychology
Sean T. O'Brien, Irish Studies
Catherine Perry, Romance Languages and Literatures
Dianne Pinderhughes, Africana Studies and Political Science
Ann Marie R. Power, Sociology
F. Clark Power, Program of Liberal Studies and Institute of Education Initiatives
Ava Preacher, College of Arts and Letters
Gretchen Reydams-Schils, Program of Liberal Studies
Luc Reydams, Political Science
Robin Rhodes, Art, Art History and Design
Charles Rosenberg, Art, Art History and Design
David Ruccio, Economics
Fred Rush, Philosophy
Maura Ryan, Theology
Valerie Sayers, English
Catherine Schlegel, Classics
Siiri Scott, Film, Television and Theatre
Kristin Shrader-Frechette, Philosophy and Biological Sciences
Anne Simons, Psychology
John Sitter, English
Cheri Smith, Library
Donald Sniegowski, Emeritus-English
James Sterba, Philosophy
Julia Adeney Thomas, History
Maria Tomasula, Art, Art History and Design
Chris VandenBossche, English
John Van Engen, History
Laura Walls, English
Robert E. Walls, American Studies and Anthropology
Peter Walshe, Political Science
Andrew Weigert, Sociology
Henry Winfield, Program of Liberal Studies
Paul Weithman, Philosophy
Richard Williams, Sociology
Pam Wojcik, Gender Studies and Film, Television and Theatre
faculty
University of Notre Dame
April 22
