On Tuesday, Rainbow Alliance members and the administration reached common ground on a pledge that the group had written to encourage straight allies to support gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students.

Administrators were uncomfortable with the phrasing of the original pledge, claiming that parts of the document, including a call for marriage equality, were not in line with Saint Louis University’s Jesuit mission. The campaign was halted, and posters the group placed around campus, featuring the faces of straight allies, were taken down.

The revised pledge includes the concept of heterosexual marriage without calling allies to advocate for gay marriage or civil unions.

“It was important for students to talk about marriage, but we can’t advocate for gay marriage [at SLU],” Dean of Students Scott Smith said. “The concept of marriage … is [now] part of the dialogue.”

The pledge contains four parts. The preamble and the second section of the pledge call for the allies to work for the common good, in accordance with the Jesuit mission. The third section acknowledges the rights that the heterosexual allies have with the final section of the pledge recognizing their responsibility to eliminate forms of injustice against members of the LGBT community.

“I think [the pledge] is written in such a way that an individual can believe different things and still be an ally,” Vice President for Student Development Kent Porterfield said. “Most students are going to see this as a positive step forward.”

Rainbow Alliance Vice President-elect Thomas Bloom was pleased with the outcome of the pledge, despite having fears in the beginning of the process.

“I don’t think at the time we started this we would have come to an agreement this good,” he said. “It has come out better then we could have anticipated.”

Smith said that the administration and Rainbow Alliance went through about five drafts before reaching a compromise. Despite the long process, members of the administration were in agreement that the group would be a positive influence on campus.

“The biggest shame in all of this would be not to have the program,” Porterfield said.

The administrators involved wanted to construct the pledge in a way that was more appealing to a broad audience. As a result, specific calls to action and mentions of gay marriage were taken out of the original pledge so that all students could feel comfortable becoming an ally, even if they are not in support of gay marriage.

“I think [the pledge] is written in such a way that an individual can believe different things and still be an ally,” Porterfield said.

Rainbow Alliance President-elect Juliana Heck recognized the importance of keeping the pledge in line with Catholic teaching.

“The pledge we have now is very forward looking in comparison with other Catholic Institutions,” she said.

The compromise followed a meeting in which Dean of Students Scott Smith, Director of Campus Ministry Lisa Reiter, Director of Student Life Donna Bess and Director of the Office of Diversity and Affirmative Action Jennifer K. Scheessele.

“I hope the students recognize … that it was important to staff and faculty to be present [at the meeting],” Smith said. “I appreciate the respect that [the students showed].”

Approximately 110 students, including Student Government Association President Sam Howard and President-elect Michael Harriss, were in attendance Monday night. While the comments were often emotional, the tone remained calm. Many students expressed their thoughts on the importance of having a visible straight ally program on campus.

“Many LGBT students have come to me saying that having posters with ally faces on them made them feel comfortable and accepted at SLU,” Bloom said.

Despite their differences, the administrators in attendance expressed their support of the campaign.

“There’s homophobia on this campus, as director of Campus Ministries, I am dedicated to addressing this,” Reiter said.

The campaign leaders are optimistic toward what they will be able to do now and in the coming year.

“It has come out better then we could have anticipated,” Bloom said.