As a second-generation NIU alumnus, I was disappointed to recently learn that NIU had acquiesced to a request by the Freedom from Religion Foundation to remove copies of the Bible from the rooms of the Holmes Student Center Hotel.

Allowing a copy of the Bible to remain in a nightstand for a customer to read if he or she so chooses is far from an endorsement of its contents — any more than, say, having a list of DeKalb restaurants a guest can visit is a recommendation of their cooking. In an institution that prides itself on its openness and diversity, this strikes me as narrow-minded, petty and ultimately unwarranted.

Our university has much larger issues to deal with than this. I hope the appropriate administrators will reconsider their decision — especially since it appears that the decision was made quickly with little input from other stakeholders.