By Bishop James Conley
Following reports of a University of Nebraska-Lincoln doctoral student producing an orchestrated drag performance mocking the Catholic Mass, I wrote a letter to University of Nebraska President Jeffrey Gold and Nebraska Board of Regents Chairman Paul Kenney and copied all the members of the Board of Regents, expressing my outrage and dismay. I felt the performance was a blatant public display of faith-based discrimination and the University needed to denounce it and work to make sure it didn’t happen again, as I felt it had done with similar incidents of discrimination on campus involving other faiths. To tolerate and even reward such an inappropriate and offensive caricature of a sacred ceremony demanded an apology.
President Gold responded with an invitation to meet with him and members of the University leadership to discuss our concerns. I subsequently met with the president, Regent Board Chairman Kenney, UNL Chancellor Rodney Bennett and Regent Jack Stark. I was joined by our diocesan Communications Director Dennis Kellogg and Marion Miner of the Nebraska Catholic Conference. During the hour-long meeting on campus, we were able to explain our concerns at length and received assurance an investigation into the matter was already underway and would inform any potential subsequent actions by the University.
I recently received a follow-up letter from Chancellor Bennett (below) in which he wrote, “We regret deeply that the matter we met to discuss has caused disruption, and we sincerely apologize.”
He went on to note the importance of freedom of expression, freedom of speech and academic freedom, adding, “we also strongly believe that along with those rights comes tremendous responsibility.” Chancellor Bennett said the University will “fully embrace the opportunity this incident has prompted to consider carefully how we educate members of our community about the impact individual acts may have on people and communities – both positively and negatively, and whether intended or inadvertent.”
Chancellor Bennett pledged to “work with campus partners to develop and share strategies directed at seeking greater balance, appreciation, and understanding of how to best express individual rights and convictions in such a way as to not alienate those who are vital to the collective success.”
Another step the University is taking is the establishment of what’s described as a first-of-its-kind in the country advisory group that will hopefully result in such incidents being “reduced or eliminated” in the future. The President’s Advisory Roundtable on Community Engagement “will advise the University on the most effective ways and best practices in addressing sensitive and often emotional matters for which there are strong convictions. The commission will be comprised of well-respected individuals across the state of Nebraska and our country, who are experts in their professional fields, and whose work is considered among the leading voices.”
President Gold told me in our discussion this group will include representatives from the faith community including the Catholic Church, as well as other national experts in their fields.
I applaud President Gold, Chancellor Bennett and the regents for the invitation to dialogue on this situation, the University’s apology for the offense it has caused, and the creation of the advisory roundtable to advise on how to handle similar situations should they arise in the future. These are all positive steps forward.
I would hope the University is also apologetic not just for the disruption caused by the incident, but for the substance of the incident itself. On behalf of Catholics and all people of faith, I would like to see a more concrete commitment from the University to provide training and education on why this behavior is offensive to Catholics. Mocking the Eucharist, which is the very source and summit of the Catholic faith, should never be an action that is rewarded with a degree, but instead should be condemned for its ignorance and evil.
The University’s response is a good start. I will be eager to see the strategies and educational efforts that are developed to prevent any similar types of discrimination in the future, and how they will be addressed if they do occur. I plan to reach back out to President Gold in six months and ask for an update on what has been accomplished with regard to the proposed initiatives.
We have a great University system in Nebraska, and I want to see it continue to grow and thrive while respecting the religious rights of all faiths represented on campus.
_ _ _
July 15, 2025
Dear Bishop Conley:
The University of Nebraska is grateful for the opportunity to meet with you and your colleagues to discuss a very important matter affecting members of your diocese and others in our community.
As shared during our meeting, we take this matter seriously and do all we can to ensure the University of Nebraska considers and respects all its stakeholders. We regret deeply that the matter we met to discuss has caused disruption, and we sincerely apologize.
A hallmark of public higher education is open and free expression in accordance with applicable provisions outlined in board policy, and state and federal laws. While we recognize that freedom of expression, freedom of speech, and academic freedom are foundational principles upon which higher education has thrived, we also strongly believe that along with those rights comes tremendous responsibility. As one of our country’s leading institutions of higher education we fully embrace the opportunity this incident has prompted to consider carefully how we educate members of our community about the impact individual acts may have on people and communities-both positively and negatively, and whether intended or inadvertent.
To that end, we will work with campus partners to develop and share strategies directed at seeking greater balance, appreciation, and understanding of how to best express individual rights and convictions in such a way as to not alienate those who are vital to the collective success. As the state’s Big Ten, land-grant, RI university, UNL is committed to maintaining the highest standards of rigor and excellence to best support the state and citizens of Nebraska.
Additionally, and equally important to the way forward, is the establishment of the President’s Advisory Roundtable on Community Engagement, which will advise the university on the most effective ways and best practices in addressing sensitive and often emotional matters for which there are strong convictions. The commission will be comprised of well-respected individuals across the state of Nebraska and our country, who are experts in their professional fields, and whose work is considered among the leading voices.
Through the work of the commission, we will gain critical insights from its members, and we believe the number of incidents like the one we discussed during our meeting will be reduced or eliminated. The establishment of the commission is underway; membership is being finalized and expected to be operational by the end of the summer.
As mentioned near the end of our meeting, these are unprecedented times in public higher education, and our ability to educate, inspire and prepare our students to take their place in critical areas of communities in which they will live and serve is our top priority.
For us to do so, continuous dialogue with individuals like you and others is important to our success. We work hard to “get it right” the first time, to be an institution that the people of Nebraska are proud of, and to be the model for public higher education in our country.
We have the right people in place to carry out this important work for the betterment of humanity. We are excited about the future and creating something in which each of us takes pride.
With highest regards,
Rodney D. Bennett
Chancellor
