(RNS) — In August, when the University of Notre Dame renamed its Center for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Sister Thea Bowman, a sainthood candidate and Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration who was the first African American to receive the university’s prestigious Laetare Medal, there was no fanfare, not even a press release.
The name change, though welcomed by Bowman’s congregation, seemed to have as much to do with attempts by President Donald Trump’s administration to eliminate DEI in higher education as it did honoring the mid-20th-century educator, writer and evangelizer.
The FSPA sisters’ president, Sister Sue Ernster, celebrated the choice, saying Bowman was “a prophetic voice for racial justice and Gospel joy” and “continues to inspire the Church to be more inclusive, courageous and compassionate.” The Bowman Center still offers multicultural student programs and services and still houses the gender relations center, the office of student enrichment, the diversity council and PrismND, the LGBTQ+ student organization.
But the congregation told Religion News Service it was not involved in the name change and only heard of the renaming after the fact.
(Erin Blasko, a Notre Dame spokesperson, told RNS, “Our efforts to build a Notre Dame community where everyone feels a sense of belonging are deeply rooted in our Catholic mission.”)
Notre Dame is just one school trying to stay under the administration’s radar while continuing its work wi …