Students expressed mixed feelings whey they were informed that School of Management Dean Louis Lataif's name appeared on a recent petition to ban gay marriage and civil unions in Massachusetts.
The petition and its signatures can be viewed in its entirety on Knowthyneighbor.org.
Although Lataif declined to comment, students expressed cautious reservations about the appearance of the dean's name on the list.
Adam Minsky, College of Arts and Sciences junior and former vice president of Spectrum, Boston University's gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and straight organization, said he thinks Lataif has disrespected the Boston University community for outwardly supporting the petition.
"I am extremely disappointed if it is true that Dean Lataif intentionally signed the anti-gay marriage petition," Minsky said in an email. "As an important leader of the university, Lataif has an obligation to respect the rights of all students, faculty and staff in the university community.
"In signing this petition, he is effectively saying that he believes the rights of a certain community - the LGBT community -should be limited," Minsky continued. "He is saying that fellow gay and lesbian professors, staff, and students, some of whom may have been in loving relationships for years, should not have the same benefits and rights to marriage that he enjoys. This may not conflict with any laws, it may not even conflict with BU policies - but it certainly conflicts with the ethical obligations of a university administrator," he said.
SMG students expressed mixed reactions, though they agreed that Lataif is entitled to his views as long as he does not speak directly for the university.
Natalya Kamenetsky, a SMG sophomore, said she was caught off guard by Lataif's choice but that it didn't affect her opinion on his character.
"I'm surprised," SMG sophomore Natalya Kamenetsky said. "You wouldn't expect that from a dean from any school because BU is so diverse.
Still, she said, "It doesn't affect [the way I view Lataif] because I'm not gay, but I think it would affect people who are really passionate about the issue," she continued.
Other students were less critical of the dean, saying Lataif's beliefs are no concern of the students.
"It's his personal belief," said Karen Tam, a SMG junior. "It's not like he's advocating the entire SMG to support his view. I guess he's entitled to it."
SMG sophomore Jeff Nitz said he does not agree with the petition but he would not judge Lataif for signing it.
"I would say he's obviously entitled to his opinion," he said. "I don't see anything wrong with gay marriage. I don't think someone should have the right to stop a loving couple from getting married.
"He's a conservative businessman," Nitz continued. "It makes sense although I disagree with what he said."
"I mean, some people may see [gay marriage] as being more or less favorable," said Paul Bybel, an SMG senior. "It makes no difference to me. If they want to get married it's fine, as long as there's no public display of affection in front of me."
The petition has also drawn criticism as the Massachusetts Family Institute faced accusations of using fraudulent tactics to lure voters into signing the document.
Lataif would not say whether his signature was gained fraudulently.
Former Spectrum Public Relations Director Scott Rousse, School of Hospitality Administration junior, said he hopes Lataif signed the petition under false pretenses but recognizes Lataif's right to sign the petition.
"I hope that Lataif was one of the victims of the petition fraud and is not actually against marriage equality, but regardless I believe that Dean Lataif is entitled to having his own opinion on the subject of same-sex marriage," Rousse said in an email. "I just hope he is professional enough to keep his political beliefs and his administrative duties completely separate.
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