August 20, 2004

Twyman, state reach agreement

By Steve Zimmerman
Ashland Daily Tidings

A flurry of activity following two stories Thursday in the Ashland Daily Tidings has led to a hasty truce between James Twyman's Beloved Community and Alan Contreras, administrator of the Office of Degree Authorization at the Oregon Student Assistance Commission.

Late Thursday, Contreras said he is backing off his allegations that the Beloved Community and Seminary of Spiritual Peacemaking are operating an unaccredited, "diploma mill."

Contreras said he is now satisfied the seminary is going to apply for accreditation.

"What they are going to do is apply in our standard process in November," he said. "It looks like what happened is last winter they contacted our office and were sent the rules and information. But they apparently never got back to us after that February drop-dead date.

"So I thought they had decided to go their own way and ignore us. Marianne Wilson (spokesperson for the Beloved Community) called us today and told us they did not their intention. She said they are planning to apply this fall and go through the process."

Wilson said after a phone conversation with Contreras, all seems to be on track for the school becoming accredited.

"We have not yet given out a single diploma," she said. "And the actual terminology on the Web site says, 'still being legally determined,' under the section about the degree. It states that very clearly."

Twyman, who is best known as an author and peace troubadour, moved to Ashland several years ago and opened his Beloved Community.

He also runs the Seminary of Spiritual Peacemaking. It is that branch of Beloved Community that has been under some scrutiny, largely stemming from a couple of complaints about the degrees and claims of fraud. The Oregon Attorney General's office said they have cleared the organization of any wrong-doing to date.

Contreras confirmed that there was a communication problem leading to his belief that the seminary was operating illegally. Wilson and Contreras compared notes Thursday and worked out a plan for the seminary to complete the process for accreditation.

"We are now on the review chart now for November because that is the earliest they can review us," Wilson said.

The seminary offers a two-year program that must be completed to graduate. All the students have required reading list, they have assignments, have a coach monitoring their progress and have weekly lessons.

"I can write in and get a degree online in a matter of months," Wilson said. "It is not that kind of program. Not one single diploma has been given out because we were waiting for everything and the two-year period has not finished."

Contreras said the seminary is applying for approval to grant one degree, a master's of divinity.

"At this point, I am going to assume they are operating in good faith and are going to send in the material," he said.