Refusal to allow formation of a gay student organization at Duquesne University is fanning an extraordinary debate on the Catholic campus, where 119 faculty and staff are publicly urging the administration to reconsider.

		On the Internet "Adversity to diversity," by Matthew Pratter

What is being framed by some as a struggle pitting diversity against school mission surrounds sophomore Matthew Pratter. He penned an opinion piece in the student newspaper, The Duquesne Duke, recounting his failed bid to gain approval for a gay-straight alliance on the 10,000-student campus.

Pratter argued that at schools where they exist, such groups promote dialogue and discourage harassment.

"It is crucial to combat the 'better dead than gay' lesson that so many young people are taught," Pratter wrote. "This outreach does not mean an official endorsement of homosexuality, but rather a desire to provide support for people who may need to be supported, and a voice for those who need to be heard."

Pratter, an education major, said he was told by campus authorities whom he did not identify that such a proposal was in conflict with the school's mission. "When I inquired further, I was informed there were no homosexuals that attended Duquesne University," he wrote.

Pratter's piece, in which he described himself as gay, brought a flood of letters to The Duke for and against his position after it was published on March 3. The matter escalated this week with the surfacing of a petition addressed to Duquesne President Charles Dougherty that by yesterday had garnered 119 signers campus-wide, most of whom teach in disciplines from theology to business to pharmacy.

Dougherty was traveling and unavailable late yesterday. Spokeswoman Bridget Fare said the matter is under review even though Pratter apparently did not go through proper channels in making his request.

"The president and the administration recognize that it's an issue of concern and reflection, not only for Duquesne, but for campuses across the country," Fare said. "[School leaders] are taking it under consideration. They're discussing it. Any decision will be made in light of the school's mission."

Pratter, 21, of Bryn Mawr, said in an interview yesterday that he's heartened by the response including other gay students who wrote to The Duke. "I'm not alone. There clearly are other students in my position as a gay student on a Catholic campus," he said.

The petition was drafted by several professors involved in social justice issues and conveyed electronically across campus. Fred Evans, a philosophy professor who helped circulate it, said there are moral and educational issues involved beyond one's thinking on whether a group supportive of gays is any different from one that represents international students or African-American students.

"There is a bond between us all," he said. "You just don't want to see people you feel connected with denied the right to have an organization like that."

Another signer, associate journalism professor Maggie Patterson who's been at Duquesne since 1982, could not recall such a public stand taken by faculty over a campus justice issue. "In the interest of openness, we should allow students to have different organizations," she said.

Evans said a faculty member found by searching Web sites 52 Catholic campuses with gay/straight alliances. In explaining why her school has such a student group, Georgetown University spokeswoman Laura Cavender said: "We want to create a safe and welcoming atmosphere for every student."