Friday, March 25, 2011

My last official BYU post...RIP

The first honor code, The Ten Commandments given to Moses, isn’t a cruel dictate from a merciless Father. It is a moral compass to guide us through a dangerous world. Whether the Ten Commandments, the Catechism of the Catholic Church or the BYU Honor Code, our problems in life arise more from abandoning these guideposts than from following them.

As a graduate of America’s oldest Catholic university, I would like to applaud Brigham Young University for understanding the true meaning of the term alma mater. If, by chance, BYU and Georgetown were to meet in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, one would witness a clash greater than East vs. West.
One school long ago abandoned its charge to educate the spirit as well as the mind. The other stays true to its mission to educate the whole person — regardless of winning basketball games.

Cain M. Pence is a writer based in Minneapolis, Minn.
Copyright 2011 The Salt Lake Tribune