The Boy Scouts and Princeton

This holiday season, Boy Scout Troop 43 is learning about more than just tying knots and pitching tents. They are getting a lesson in local politics and legal precedents — and it's every bit as hard as it looks.

The problem started when members of Troop 43 asked the Borough for permission to cover two parking meters on Chambers Street to make room for their annual Christmas tree fund raiser. Even though the Supreme Court ruled in Boy Scouts of America v. Dale that the organization is entitled to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, the Borough is under no obligation to share its public resources with the troop. By denying the request, the Borough Council is actively demonstrating that it will not support the activities of a group that excludes homosexuals. They have sent a strong message to the Boy Scouts.

Now it is time for the University to do the same. Each year, Princeton matches its employees' contributions to the United Way, an umbrella organization that offers financial support to hundreds of local agencies — including the Boy Scouts. The University needs to establish a coherent policy with regard to its ongoing United Way campaign. Specifically, it should stipulate that its matching funds should not go to the Boy Scouts. Offering financial assistance to a group that discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation goes against every progressive stride the University has taken in recent years. This institution has come too far in promoting tolerance to offer monetary support to anti-homosexual groups. As tuition-payers, students have every right — and indeed, an obligation — to make sure the University's charitable donations go to groups that promote values such as tolerance, not homophobia.

How can we ensure that the money — our money — ends up in the right hands? The United Way of Greater Mercer County is a good place to start. The University should support the United Way in augmenting its discrimination clause so that groups with prejudicial membership practices like the Boy Scouts will be ineligible for funding. The University should make a public commitment to see these changes come to fruition and should pledge to reconsider its contract with the United Way if the Boy Scouts remain among the groups in the recipient pool.

We are proud to be a part of Princeton's commitment to charitable organizations, particularly at this time of year. But the gift-giving season is also a time for taking note of who's been bad and who's been good. So we should, too.