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VC backs cardinal pal
ACU head says media and police ‘blackened’
Pell’s good name before trial.
A
ustralian Catholic University vice-chancellor Greg Craven,
a “dear friend” of Cardinal George Pell, remains loyal to him
despite Pell’s conviction for child sex offences.
As one of 10 character referees for Pell, Craven wrote that Pell
is “a deeply sensitive person, thoughtful, considerate, and notably
charitable in respect of both friends and enemies”.
The name remains the same
University opts to honour community views on
history and tradition in regard to rebrand.
C
harles Sturt University won’t change its name, but it will
get a lick of paint.
The university announced earlier this year that it was
considering changing its name to simply Sturt University (SU),
among other suggestions.
It subsequently held public consultation sessions from Albury-
Wodonga to Port Macquarie and took into account views shared
through website, email, social media and public petition.
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campusreview.com.au
“He has a profound sense of humour, most often expressed at
his own expense.”
Craven, a practising Catholic and a consultor to the Holy See’s
Congregation for Catholic Education, said he has known Pell
for 25 years. Indeed, his inaugural 2015 lecture as ACU’s vice-
chancellor was introduced by Pell and conducted in the Crypt of
St Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney, where Pell presided as archbishop of
Sydney for 13 years.
In an opinion piece in The Australian, Craven blamed the
Victorian police and the media – particularly the ABC and Fairfax
publications – for “blacken[ing] the name of someone before he
went to trial”.
Other referees for Pell include former Australian prime minister
John Howard.
Pell’s barrister, Robert Richter, QC, said the references were
written with the knowledge that Pell had been found guilty.
“None of [the referees] believe he is capable of these offences,”
he told Melbourne’s County Court of Victoria.
Pell maintains his innocence, and his legal team have applied to
appeal the conviction.
The written references were tendered to the court as part of a
pre-sentence hearing.
Pell was convicted in December last year of orally raping a
13-year-old choirboy and molesting another after Sunday mass
at St Patrick’s Cathedral in East Melbourne in 1996, when he was
archbishop of Melbourne.
Due to a court order, however, the verdict was suppressed until
26 February. ■
One such petition against the name change, posted to
change.org, gathered over 6200 signatures before CSU’s recent
announcement.
The petition read: “Changing the name from CSU to SU erodes
the identity, tradition and history of the previous generations who
have attended, studied and worked at Charles Sturt University.
“History and tradition must not be lost. We must keep the name
and identity of our great university.”
One CSU alumna, Tayla Martin, put her support for the campaign
against a name change down to distribution of university money –
a common theme in the comments section.
“I believe this is an unnecessary waste of money and can be
better spent improving the education towards students’ learning,”
Martin said.
Vice-chancellor Andrew Vann said in a public statement: “We
heard loud and clear from your stories that you are connected to
our name and our rich history. We believe it’s important we reflect
the views of our community in our namesake.
“Our name will remain as Charles Sturt University.”
Vann confirmed CSU would still move ahead with changes to its
visual identity, logo and marketing approach.
“We must be competitive. We must be sustainable. We cannot
stand still.
“We will draw on our shared history and values to develop our
brand, to tell our unique stories and to represent the connections
we’ve made and continue to make for every member of the
university community.”
CSU said details of its new branding would be revealed in the
coming months. ■