Thanks for the kind words, Daniel. At the risk of sounding self-aggrandizing, I did go out of my way to try and help Campion whenever I could. And I know a lot of other people, whether Ignatius Press people or others, who did likewise.

That's another reason why I think some of these accusations border on the ludicrous, making it sound as if the Ignatius Press staff and Father Fessio have been aiming at taking Campion down, like it was some kind of Haitian plot. Hopefully everything will be worked out in the next couple of weeks--it would be a real shame if this causes permanent rifts between the students of Campion and the employees of Ignatius.

John

Please observe standard spellings and capitalization. I am not perfect in this, but, mamma mia, this is too much, and it does not reflect well on Campion.

I am especially troubled by this because your points are excellent. It is just that my inner editor/grammar duce is peeved, and you don't want to meet a peeved grammar duce.

It really looks like a matter of hasty typing, which is cured by frequent use of the backspace key.

Anyway, like I said, your points are great, and you reveal yourself to be a gentleman. Just remember the old Nat Cole tune:

"Straighten up and type right."

And don't you dare tell me "cool down, papa, don't you blow your top."

On that note dear Professor, I will revial my hidden identity (insert fan fare, as if my poor spelling didn't have my name wirtten all over it) Brutus is Daniel Johnson. I would like to note the reason i chose the sudonyme, because just like the character in Shakespear's play, i am having an awefully hard time dealing with a particullarly difficult stituation, and am despratly hoping i don't kill someone over it.

Mister Herried, i must appologize for never having made your aquaintance this past year, from what my fellow Campionites tell me, yours is a friendship not to be passed up lightly. You have been a great friend to Campion over the two years. And we owe you a debt of gratitude that we can now never repay.

I must also note that just like the many beautiful conversations I was engaged in at Campion College, we on this blog have managed to take a converstion about a very base thing adn elevate it to a consideration of higher things. We have taken a consideration of questionable buisness practices and raised it to conversational ethics and proper methods of debate. As wonderful as this is, i belive the first issue is of much greater importance at the moment than objections over sudonymes.

So i ask agian, Mister Herried, if the facts of the case are diffrent than those given to us by John Galten, than what are they? If the Press is not to blame for this, if the press is not responsible for poor buisness practices, than who is??

To My Former Students and/or Other Anonymous Posters:
It is magnanimous--that is to say, "large-souled" or "big-minded"--to sign a name to your words.
You might prefer an alter ego, like Brutus or the talented Mr. Smithers. You might be bold enough to put your own name to your words like the esteemed Mr. Herreid or yours truly.
In any case: own your claims.
Hopefully, this is my last post on this blog about Campion.
pax vobiscum
SC

Mark Brumley sent out an email today which has informed students and staff of Campion, that the press has not stood in the way of Campion going it alone.

A point of clarification: I never called for a boycott. Mr. Keilholtz used that term--and I think even he meant it more as a description than as some organized protest or plan of action. You must ask him to be sure.
In my initial response to Mr. Keilholtz, I said that one should not buy books from IP.
When asked to explain this point, I responded by saying that one should buy the books one wants to buy, but also consider using the library.
IP keeps some terrific old titles in print and in general produces beautiful books.
If you want their books, buy them.
Personally, I will not do business with this company for the forseeable future, but I still pray for the well-being and spiritual growth of its management and employees.
I, also, shall read Josef Pieper in the German.
pax vobiscum
SC

Sirs,

It seems to me that we do not even need to talk boycott. Lets just talk economics. Everyone likes things to be cheap, we students and faculty have learned that lesson very well this past week. So why not buy our Ignatius Press books cheaply? www.Abebooks.com is an place where the owners of used book stores place thier inventories, why not simply buy from them. I will tell you this much from expireince, it makes Christmass shoping a whole lot cheaper.

Also, as a former student of the Campion, I am interested in hearing the other side as well. Also as a former student of Campion, I am suprised that Mister Herried even has to ask why half of his class droped out, shouldn't he know that as well, and be willing to bring it to the table for discussion rather than using it as a volly aginst Citizen Smithers? Also I would like to know if anyone at the Press honestly thought that there wouldn't be a few years where the class sizes would be small, where the budget woudl be tight, where the enthusiasum would be low? Honestly, this is always the case in both buisness and marraige, after the joy of the honeymoon wears off. Now perhaps Campion's honeymoon was cut short by the premature departure of Father Fessio, however I can not help but wonder at the financial competence of Ignatius Press if they entred into a buisness situation of the kind that began Campion College, soly on the whim of one man, be he priest or any other man, there is a certain amount of fiscial responsiblity which exists and must be attended to? The actions of the Ignatius Press, in simply following the will of one man is more remiscent of a cult and its buisness sense than it is of an international Press or a College!

To everyone,

I am a former student of Campion and I do not support Mr. Cordova in his boycott. This is crazy! The press did not handle this situation well at all, but that does not take away from the fact that they support the Catholic faith. In fact to boycott the press is only hurting the Catholic faith. Remember the big picture here. As Catholics we need to support each other. The press could no longer support us with money, but that is not to say they would not support us in faith. If Campion is to have a future, we must not cast stones. We must pray, and hope. Mr. Cordova, it would better help Campion and it's students, if we looked for solutions instead of creating more problems.

Mr Herreid,

I note the following:

Fiscal incompetence. You agree by your silence, that the Guadalupe/Ignatius Press folks have displayed fiscal incompetence?

Refusal of independence. Perhaps you should try to get a straight answer from Mr. Mark Brumley about whether this occurred. Perhaps you could obtain and post a copy of the minutes of a certain recent meeting between the boards of Campion and Guadalupe. Perhaps you could obtain and publish a categorical denial from Mr. Brumley regarding the insurmountable impediments that were in fact placed. But I doubt that the good Mr.Brumley would feel comfortable in issuing such a denial.

Necessary and needful. Where did my argument suggest that Campion was necessary and needful, in some overarching sense? The argument is that fiscal incompetence and panic inspired persons of less than solid integrity and judgement to commit an offense against justice. And further that they compounded the injustice of this act by preventing Campion's attempt to go it on their own. Please respond to the actual argument.

Fr. Fessio and company have a reputation indeed. "Untarnished" is not the ideal adjective in regard to their use of Catholic donations. Santa Fe Communications and Catholic Family Radio are instances of what some might describe as "tarnish". How many millions of dollars were flushed down the toilet in these projects? What minuscule percentage of that amount would be required to merely satisfy the demands of justice in regard to the students and faculty of Campion?

My identity is not at issue. Ad hominems and accusations of paranoia are not at issue. The incompetence and injustice of the June-shutdown are at issue. I am not charging a "deliberate attempt to sabotage Campion College"; the FACT of the denial of Campion's attempt to become independent indicts those involved. What could possibly be their motive? The FACTS suggest culpable negligence. The moral reality is that Guadalupe permitted everyone involved to believe until last week (last week!) that the college would re-open in September, and by so doing they obligated themselves to fulfill this expectation. Their unapologetic refusal to honor this obligation and to impede the efforts of others to do so are just plain wrong.

Mr. Herreid, again I repeat: bring forth the "other side", so that we can judge the the actions of your employers.

Quick question. Who is Thaddeus Smithers? And why doesn't he use his real name? It's quite easy to attack and slash when you do it anonymously. Quite brave, in fact.

"Why then did they block the College's attempt to become independent?"

When did that happen?

Thaddeus, you sound a bit paranoid.

From what you are saying, it sounds as if you are charging that there was a deliberate attempt to sabotage Campion College from within, by people who have untarnished records of supporting Catholic education. Think about it for a moment. It sounds a bit ludicrous, doesn't it? Father Fessio, who founded the Ignatius Institute, now decides to sabotage a good Catholic college for no reason? That's what you're saying.

If Campion was as neccessary and needful as you are saying, why did only two students sign up for the following year? Why did half of the second year class drop out? Why were donations so low?

It must have been part of the Ignatius Press conspiracy.

John Herreid

WHO IS EMBATTLED?

Professor Cordova is not "overly" harsh. In fact, given the magnitude of the betrayal his students have suffered, he does not sound harsh at all.

Let us, by all means, "look into this" and hear the "other side". Let us discover what kind of fiscal incompetence led Ignatius Press to discover in June what should have been obvious six months earlier.

Mr. Herreid notes that the Ignatius Press viewed Campion a "problematic enterprise with uncertain future". Very well. Why then did they block the College's attempt to become independent? What possible motive could they have to refuse Campion the chance to try to fulfill its mission without being a burden on the Igatius Press? I am very curious to hear the "other side" of this.

It is not merely the fact that faculty and students are being harmed by an act of bad faith. This action on the part of Guadalupe Associates/Ignatius Press taints other associated endeavors. One must now worry that Adoremus and Catholic World Report are associated with persons of less than pristine integrity and less than optimal judgement.

Mr. Herreid, bring forth the "other side", so that we can judge whether the actions of your employers are prudent and of good will or whether they are the fearful acts of the short-sighted.

Mr. Herreid:
Perhaps you can elaborate the other half of the story?
I only speak for myself: Mr. Keilholtz, Mr. Smithers, and the others who have commented on Campion's demise have their own opinions and sources other myself about the sad state of affairs.
I deeply resent the way your employers treated my students. I resent it so much that I do not choose to do business with them and advise others to do the same.
Yours in embattled, half-cocked disgruntlement,
SC

I would add the advice to check both sides of the story before rushing to extremes. While I respect Professor Cordova's opinion, he's being overly harsh on this and not taking into account the problems that were arising with Campion (financial and recruitment-wise).

I work at Ignatius Press, and I also attended Campion for a while. I think it was one of the best programs out there. But it also had some problems, and when you're running a publishing company with a small staff and a very large outlook, a problematic enterprise with uncertain future is going to have to be secondary.

The one bad thing about being embattled Catholics is that many of us assume the worst about everything. I hope people will look into this matter further before going off half-cocked. It's just bad thinking.

Please don't take the word of one disgruntled professor to be the whole truth and nothing but it.

Hmmm ....
Dear Mr. "Smithers":
Into how many languages can we translate, "no"?
Awaiting further instructions from my Soviet Masters,
SC

But is not Joseph Fessio an honorable man?

Are you not rushing to judgement?

And, is not Tony Ryan an honorable man? Did he not prophesy: "It is better for a few students and faculty to die for the sake of Ignatius Press, than for some pet projects to be postponed."

Is not Mark Brumley an honorable man?

Was it not said that the decision was rendered by "wise and holy" persons after "much prayer" and that it was "God's will"?

You must trust the judgement of the people at Ignatius Press; they know best whether students should left to twist in the wind. They are "orthodox" Catholics, after all. They know, by dint of Jesuit leadership, when it is acceptable to break promises, leave commitments unfulfilled, or commit fraud.

The Guadalupe Associates are the corporate body who own and run the Ignatius Press. Campion College was started as a venture funded through Ignatius Press--meaning that Guadalupe Associates made the decisions regarding both operations (and the Associates are all or mostly current employees of the Press).
I suggest that you not buy books from IP, because your dollars benefit people who were unnecessarily to cruel to the now former students of Campion College.
Buy the books you want to read, but also consider using the library.
SC

on Ignatius Press - details please? I ask because I take the call to boycott rather seriously, and Ignatius happens to have several books that are on my want to read list.