Marriott School Dean Ned Hill's scolding of Professor Warner P. Woodworth for opposing Vice President Dick Cheney's presence at BYU commencement, published June 13, showed an unfortunate lack of appreciation for the diverse political viewpoints existent in the LDS community.

Hill and associate deans Albrecht and Thompson claim that "few, if any" at BYU support Woodworth's message. In fact, nearly 4,000 people signed a petition opposing Cheney's April speech. Many BYU faculty signed the petition anonymously out of fear of professional retribution. Apparently, with good reason.

Hill and Albrecht, who criticize Woodworth as "not speaking for" the BYU administration, were themselves reprimanded last fall for using their tithe-funded positions to organize alumni in support of Mitt Romney's presidential bid. Unlike Hill and Albrecht, Dr. Woodworth never implied that his views were "official."

If BYU encourages "balanced and respectful political discourse among its faculty," Woodworth and other faculty members should be applauded for tackling this issue with respect and eloquence.

The deans seem focused on publicly discrediting their colleague, while he is spending the summer in Africa working to alleviate poverty. In cases like these, actions speak louder than words.

 Crystal Young-Otterstrom,

Co-organizer of petition opposing Cheney speech,

Salt Lake City