For the 2013-2014 school year, SAU chose the timely theme of sustainability. The yearlong series of lectures, concerts and art exhibits kicked off this Tuesday with a lecture by Carson Holloway. Holloway is an associate professor at University of Nebraska, Omaha, and the author of three books on political science.
His lecture on Tuesday, Sustaining Religious Liberty: The Health and Human Services Mandate and the First Amendment, focused on the currently debated federal mandate that would require employers to provide comprehensive health insurance, whether or not this should include contraceptives, and whether or not religious organization should have to comply despite objections they may have. A surprisingly high number of students attended, many of whom did not sign the sheets set out for extra credit. About a fourth of Holloway’s hour was taken up by other speakers introducing him, so he ended up saying much more about how courts have handled situations like the mandate in the past than about how America should handle it today. Still, it was an engaging, thought provoking lecture, and a satisfying start to the year’s sustainability project.
If it wasn’t obvious already, the sustainability project is not only about environmental sustainability. It is about society as a whole. It asks whether or not American attitudes and lifestyles can continue as they are, and tries to find ways to change if they cannot. Upcoming events include a concert by the band Matuto (Sept. 21, 7:30 pm) and a lecture by Winona LaDuke (Sept 27, 7 pm). It promises to be an interesting year.
*Photo taken from discerninghearts.com