Opinion ID: 166214
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Selection of the Statue

Text: 33 Appellants have produced no evidence that anyone at the school chose the statue out of hostility toward the Catholic faith. 3 Greg Inkmann testified that when the three-person jury viewed the slides of Holier Than Thou, they did not discuss the resemblance of the bishop's miter to a phallus or any other possible anti-Catholic messages in the statue. When slides of the five sculptures selected by the jury were later shown to the entire Campus Beautification Committee, the minutes show no discussion of Holier Than Thou. Jeanette Bertelson, chair of the committee, testified that the statue was considered to be a very fine piece of bronze, and that basically was it. Until she later heard about the complaints, Bertelson testified that she was not aware of any possible anti-Catholic message in the statue. Similarly, there was no discussion of any anti-Catholic or phallic symbolism when the slides were presented to President Farley for approval. 34 Washburn argues its decision to display Holier Than Thou was motivated by two purposes: 1) to enhance the university's educational experience, and 2) to beautify the campus. These justifications are consistent with both the educational goals of the university and the mission of the Campus Beautification Committee, and are further supported by the statements of those involved in the selection process. At the special Campus Beautification Committee meeting called after the onset of the controversy, committee members stated that they had seen nothing offensive in the statue and had based their decisions solely on the statue's quality as a piece of art. Bertelson later told the Board of Regents that works for the exhibit were chosen because they exhibited artistic quality, were composed of media appropriate for outdoor display, and were able to engage the viewer and initiate discussion. 35 Appellants dispute both of Washburn's purported justifications for displaying the statue. They cite the Seventh Circuit's opinion in Freedom from Religion Foundation, Inc. v. City of Marshfield for the proposition that campus beautification is not a sufficient secular purpose to withstand challenge under the Establishment Clause. 203 F.3d 487, 493 (7th Cir.2000). The court in Freedom from Religion Foundation examined a fifteen-foot marble statue of Jesus Christ erected on public property and inscribed with the words Christ Guide Us On Our Way in twelve-inch block letters. Id. at 489. The court relied on Gonzales v. North Township, 4 F.3d 1412, 1421 (7th Cir.1993), which held that the purpose of beautifying a public park could not supersede a monument's predominant religious purpose. Freedom from Religion Found., 203 F.3d at 493. Unlike Freedom from Religion Foundation and Gonzales, however, there is no evidence in this case that the government actor had any religiously motivated reason for displaying the statue in question. At least when there is no evidence of improper motive, campus beautification is a permissible justification for displaying a work of art. 36 In response to Washburn's second purported justification, appellants argue that the university's goal of enhancing the school's educational environment was not served by displaying a piece of artwork hostile to a group of students on campus, and that the university could have better achieved its objective by displaying the statue in the campus art museum. Whether the university's chosen methods were the most effective possible means of achieving its goals, however, is irrelevant to the question whether the university was motivated by anti-Catholic intent. See Lynch, 465 U.S. at 681 n. 7, 104 S.Ct. 1355 (The question is whether the display . . . violates the Establishment Clause.). 37