THE GOSHEN NEWS
Goshen College will be playing an instrumental version of the national anthem for the first time before a sporting event Tuesday. The next day, though, there will be a campus-wide dialog about the issue.
According to a press release from the college, GC will play a double header baseball game against Siena Heights University at 1 p.m. and St. Joseph’s College at 2 p.m. All games will be free and open to the public.
There will be a statement included in the game programs and a pre-game announcement sharing the college’s core values. After playing the national anthem, the Peace Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi will be read.
The instrumental arrangement that will be played was written by Peter Breiner in 1994 and was used as part of the 2004 Athen’s Olympics medal ceremonies. This arrangement was jointly chosen by the college’s athletic and music departments.
At 10 a.m. Wednesday, the college will have a campus convocation in the Church-Chapel about “Perspectives on the Anthem.”
President Jim Brenneman will introduce differing perspectives on the playing of the national anthem at GC. This event is free and open to the public.
In January, the GC Presidents Council decided to allow the instrumental version of the antional anthem to be played prior to some sporting events beginning this spring. In mid-February, the college’s Board of Directors affirmed that decision. Teh decision will be reviewed by the board in June 2011.
The college has never banned playing the national anthem prior to sporting events since joining intercollegiate sporting events, but it did have a practice of not playing the anthem. Goshen College is owned by Mennonite Church USA, a historic peace church. The denomination does not have an official position on the playing of the national anthem.
