The Forsyth County United Way provides approximately ,000 to the Old Hickory Council Boy Scouts of America every year. The Boy Scouts have been accused of discriminating against females, non-Christians, atheists and homosexuals. In fact, as most of us can recall, the Boy Scouts open discrimination policy against homosexuals led them to the Supreme Court two years ago in Boy Scouts v. Dale.

Although the Court stood in favor of the Boy Scouts, their reasoning stated that the Boy Scouts of America could discriminate based on sexual orientation only because they are a private organization. Though constituents are forced to respect the court's decision to allow the Boy Scouts to discriminate, the public is not obligated to fund such institutions. Since the 2000 Supreme Court case, the United Way of Forsyth County has revised their non-discrimination policy to allow for the continued support of discriminating groups such as the Boy Scouts of America.

The old discrimination policy stated that the United Way intended "to operate by policy and practice without discrimination based on age, race, religion, gender, physical or mental disability, economic status, cultural heritage, national origin or sexual orientationÉ" The current policy has taken out that entire section by simply stating that the United Way attempts to "operate by policy and practice according to federal non-discriminatory guidelines." The purpose of the change in 2000 is clear and the effects are dangerous.

The United Way, when asked to support homosexuals and thus withdraw funding from the Boy Scouts of America, proclaimed that their purpose was simply to benefit the community and not to promote social change. What the United Way fails to acknowledge is that Winston-Salem is a city composed of diversity. To fully benefit the community as a whole, they must provide provisions that protect all of the members of the constituency, rather than the simple majority. Winston-Salem does have homosexuals in the community and these homosexuals are tax-paying members just like the heterosexual majority. Changing their discrimination policy to be inclusive of the Boy Scouts seems to promote social regression rather than social progression, which is in itself a form of social change.

But the United Way is not alone in bearing the blame. The six major donors to the United Way, one being the Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, all preach non-discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in their guidelines, yet they supported the Forsyth County United Way non-discrimination policy change. We as students of the university, donate ,000 to the Forsyth County United Way, which is distributed between all of the supported affiliates, including the Boy Scouts of America. Thus, we, students of Wake Forest are also to blame for the support of discrimination which directly conflicts our university's policy of non-discrimination.

In my politics seminar on Gandhi, directed under Charles H. Kennedy, professor of political science, I learned that Gandhi achieved success by always fighting for the moral high ground. Whether or not we individually believe that homosexuality should be allowed in the Boy Scouts, or should be practiced at all, is irrelevant to the issue at hand. We must acknowledge that those of us affiliated with the non-discriminating entity of this university are being hypocritical in allowing our funds and names to be attached to organizations that do not uphold our institutional claims. We at least hold the moral high ground against our own school in demanding that our funds be withheld from institutions that do not uphold our collective beliefs.

I, along with two senior classmates Lili Vo and Kelley Dean, have urged the United Way to change their donation request sheets to allow donors (in the local university areas) to not allocate funds to discriminating affiliates of the United Way.

This is the first step in trying to attain our moral high ground, but it is not enough. The Research Triangle, along with over 10 other communities nationwide, recently forced their local United Way to overturn their initial support to the Boy Scouts through the power of students at their local universities. We are not powerless. We must unite to empower our voice against our university, the United Way and the Boy Scouts of America to defend the moral high ground that we hold.

Sangya Trivedi is a senior majoring in political science.