As a two-time alum, former staff member of four years, and former Staff Council Vice Chair, I am so embarrassed and very, very sorry to anyone who is feeling marginalized, hurt, unwelcomed, unloved, unaccepted by this published op-ed and the university’s lack of adequate response to it. People, especially young adult students whose brains are (scientifically proven to be) not fully formed, especially JCU students, many of whom grow up around folks who look and think just like them – will always have ignorant and closed-minded opinions about things they have little to no experience with and do not understand. We as alumni who care about the past, present, and future state of the university have a responsibility here to put pressure on the University to respond in a way that makes our community feel included, accepted, loved, and welcomed at our University. John Carroll University’s responsibility here is to say, ‘we don’t say/do/believe those kinds of things here – **THIS IS NOT WHO WE ARE**’. Our Catholic faith calls us to be MORE accepting, MORE loving, MORE understanding of the wonderful things that make our brothers and sisters different than us – NOT LESS. These things happen. These things get said. These articles slip by the Carroll News advisor. The responsibility now lies on John Carroll to say – THIS IS NOT WHO WE ARE. And you, person who has been marginalized and hurt and made to feel small and unworthy – you are LOVED and WELCOME at John Carroll University. I have as much of a right to say this as anyone.