University administration is preparing for a protest by the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan., on Monday. WBC will be sending several members to protest the recently formed Gay/Straight Alliance at Nicholls. The protest will take place from 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in front of Bollinger Memorial Student Union.

The purpose of the protest, according to a WBC representative, is to remind students that God hates homosexuals.

“We want the students to know that there is a God, and he hates fags,” Shirley Phelps-Roper, a representative of WBC, said. “We want to get through all this politically correct nonsense that God loves everyone. We want students to stop being so doggone hedonistic.”

Craig Jaccuzzo, chief of University Police, said members of the Thibodaux Police Department and the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office will supplement the University Police force. A total of 19 officers will be on campus Monday.

“I hope that our student body (will) not allow this organization to antagonize them into an altercation,” Jaccuzzo said. “A silent protest would be the best action. If we ignore them they will just go on their way.

Eugene Dial, vice president for student affairs, said WBC has a legal right to protest, but the University can restrict them in the time, place and manner of their demonstration.

“At first, they wanted to use the sidewalks as a place to demonstrate,” Dial said. “But we told them that our sidewalks are too close to our academic buildings and that would disrupt the learning process.”

Stephen Hulbert, University president, sent a campus wide E-mail to explain the University’s position on the demonstration and the Nicholls Gay/Straight Alliance. In the E-mail, Hulbert wrote, “students have the right to assemble and to establish student organizations without censorship relative to content or purpose and student groups will be permitted to operate at Nicholls as long as their purpose and activities do not thwart the aims and purposes of the University or violate state or federal law.”

“This a university and our purpose is to educate,” Dial said. “As long as they do not violate that we, as a public institution, are obligated to allow the expression of religious speech. I hope they will come, peacefully protest and go about their business.”

Dial said he hopes passersby will pay little attention to the demonstration.

“I strongly urge members of the Nicholls community not to provide this group the reaction they desire,” Dial said. “Let’s not bring attention to the protesting group or the hateful message they spread.”

Dial urged students to counter act this protest by avoiding it, if possible, and spend the time doing something productive in the community.

“I have heard rumors of a counter protest,” Dial said, “but that will only bring more attention to this group.”

According to a campus E-mail, St. Thomas Aquinas will be “hosting prayer, quiet reflection and Eucharistic adoraion” on Monday from 10:30 a.m. to noon to counter the protest.

Nicholls became aware of WBC’s plans in a fax sent to University Relations on March 18. The fax referred to Erik Jordan, the organizer of the Gay/Straight Alliance, as an eager beaver sodomite activist who lives only to push antichristic moral filth down Nicholls’ throat. The fax also referred to Nicholls as “fag-infested.” In the fax, WBC said “God hates fags and Nicholls for leading kids to hell” via Gay/Straight Alliances and gay pride weeks.

Jordan, freshman from Conn., said he is not worried about the protesters because he has dealt with similar situations before.

“I could care less,” Jordan said. “I’ve had worse things happen to me. I am just worried about the effects on the town.”

Jordan said activist groups, like WBC, tend to polarize small communities like Thibodaux.

“I think people are going to feel threatened and are going to split,” Jordan said. “People usually are not neutral on issues like this.”

Jordan said he agrees with Dial and wants students to avoid the protesters if possible.

“If you feel like you need to make a sign, make one asking people to go around them and stand in front of the entrance to the union,” Jordan said. “This is a money maker for them. The bigger media frenzy, the more donations they get. The most annoying thing to them is if no one cares.”

WBC is also planning on protesting local churches on Sunday because, according to Phelps-Roper, they are failing in their obligation to prevent organizations, like the Gay/Straight Alliance, form forming. The churches include St. Joseph Cathedral, University Baptist, fist Presbyterian, St. Luke Catholic Church, St. John’s Episcopal and First United Methodist Church.

Jim Duck, pastor of University Baptist Church, said he does not agree with the message of actions of WBC.

“I think Phelps has got it all wrong,” Duck said. “God hates the sin, not the sinner. The Bible backs me up.”

Duck said he plans to ignore the protest and asked his congregation to do the same.