The president of the College of William and Mary ordered for the removal of the cross in the college's chapel last October to make it more welcoming to the diverse student body. However the removal has caused divisions on the campus. AU's Kay Spiritual Life Center has been a home of worship for all religions with mutual respect among groups, according to university religious leaders in Kay.
More than 10,000 students have signed an online petition since October, requesting for the replacement of the cross permanently, according to CNN.com. While 1,100 students have signed a petition since January supporting Nichol's decision, according to CNN.com.
"Nichol's flawed logic states that any person who is 'offended' can dictate the removal of religious symbols," Will Coggin, a William and Mary student and a leading voice against Nichol's decision, said in an e-mail.
Nichol tried to appeal to protesters by allowing the cross to be displayed on Sundays for worship. The setup of worship spaces has been a common practice at AU's Kay Spiritual Life Center.
"Does [the Chapel] belong to everyone or is it principally for our Christian students?" Nichol said to CNN.com. "Do we actually value religious diversity or have we determined, because of our history, to endorse a particular religious tradition at the exclusion of others?"
Despite AU's history as a Methodist institution, the campus has been inclusive of all faiths. With at least 12 different services listed on the school's Web site for various religious groups, Kay offers students a wide variety of options and opportunities to explore their spirituality, according to the Web site.
"University Chaplain Joe Elridge has been very inclusive," Rabbi Kenneth Cohen, executive director of AU Hillel, said. "The Kay Center was built to be an interfaith center and AU has been true to that vision. We appreciate that because it didn't have to be that way."
Because AU is a Methodist school, staff and students said it would not be inappropriate to have Christian symbols, unlike William and Mary, which became public in 1970. Kay attendees also said they would not be offended if they saw religious symbols apart from their own.
"I understand that this is a center for all religions, so I expect to see samples of all the religious groups on campus," Samar Mazloum, a Muslim student at the Washington College of Law, said.
Coggin said he would rather see other religious symbols included in the chapel instead of the cross removed.
Kim Rogers, an AU Catholic chaplain, said religious symbols were fine, but displaying all of them at the same time would be impractical for AU because of the high number of groups represented.
"There'd be stuff everywhere," Rogers said.
She said each group assembling their worship space works pretty well for the community.
AU students who use Kay appreciate its message and mission to include all religions.
"I really like the interfaith aspect of Kay, and I think that's kind of necessary," said Alissa Tombaugh, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Students also said housing all the major and active religious groups on campus encourages acceptance and understanding.
"I think it works out really well, especially for the communication between offices," said Michelle Dromgold, a freshman in the School of International Service.
The only shared concern of Kay's appearance among its users is the lack of space.
"Space is always an issue here. ... Not all religious groups have space and all of us here don't have enough of it," Cohen said.
