Two more comments, from a alum:
As a graduate of this school, I’d like to respond. Who says it is not a religious symbol? It seems to to me the fact that it is called a “Christmas tree” lends a good argument to the fact that it is a religious symbol. As for the commercial aspect, I agree that Congress probably would never abolish Christmas. However, this student has not been paying attention to what is being said in his Constitutional law class. It is the courts that we should be concerned about regarding the abolition of Christmas as a national holiday.
and from a student:
I’m a law student at IU – Indy also, and this whole tree ordeal has been quite encouraging to me. I heard they were taking down the tree and just sort of rolled my eyes. But the next day when I checked my school e-mail, there were over fifity e-mails regarding the subject – most of the e-mails opposing the administration’s choice to take down the tree. Although the school may not be as ‘ivory tower’ as some other liberal law schools, it has not exactly been a bastion for conservative thought since I’ve been here. For the most part, students, including most Jewish students, have been against taking down the tree. As a strong Christian, I mostly see the tree as a secular image, which is what the Supreme Court held. That is why the students are so opposed to all this. The students voicing their opposition to this is what encouraged me.