The announcement by interim President Peter Menjares in a email to faculty Wednesday follows several years of internal protests against the Christian university’s policy against hiring people in same-sex relationships. Those protests culminated in a lawsuit by students, faculty and staff claiming the ban is causing the school to “implode.”
This week’s revelation, attributed by the school to declining enrollment and coming on top of previous staff cuts, seemed like possible confirmation. At the very least, it raised fears among faculty about the continued vitality of an institution with a storied Seattle history. Free Methodists founded the school in 1891 with an inclusive, ecumenical vision.
“My heart is breaking,” said Jeffrey Overstreet, an assistant English professor and former SPU student, whose parents also attended the school. “I’m not sure we can come back from what is happening right now.”
