Harrington pointed out in his statement that many secular organizations ban pornography from their networks, not only out of moral concerns, but also becasue such websites often contain viruses and other malware that can damage machines.
"If a secular company can block these sites from their networks and computers, then I am even more convinced that The Catholic University of America ought to be able to and should regulate these sites on its own network," said Harrington.
Cornelius Deep, a member of the student Senate and one of the co-sponsors of the resolution, told CNA that the student body reaction to his resolution was not what he had expected.
"Surprisingly, the majority of people I have come across have thanked me for standing with this bill," Deep said. Others have told him that while they were initially against the resolution, they changed their minds after attending the Senate meeting and hearing arguments against pornography.
Deep told CNA that he believes that most men his age recognize that pornography is bad, but continue to consume it due to its addictive nature. Still, he believes that what he and his fellow senators are doing is an important step.
"It is important to be the change you want to see in the world and if we want to see pornography, the intrinsic evil of degrading human beings, be eliminated than we must be the ones to start the change," said Deep.
The resolution also enacted a clause requesting that the school provide additional pastoral services through its Counseling Center and Campus Ministry offering assistance to those who exposed to pornography.
Kilgore told CNA that many services were already available to students, and that these had a real value.
"Campus Ministry offers spiritual direction and/or aid in finding a spiritual director off campus, if that's the student's preference," Kilgore said.
"The University Counseling Center also provides 45 free therapy appointments to students and unlimited group therapy appointments if the student would prefer to take a secular route. Just yesterday, Campus Ministry hosted Matt Fradd to speak about the myths surrounding pornography and to offer resources to students struggling [with addiction."
While the resolution has been voted on and signed, it is technically non-binding and there is no guarantee its goals will ever come into fruition.
University administrators, though, told CNA that they are grateful with the steps taken by the students on this particular issue and will consider the ban in the future.
"It is difficult to ignore the firm stance against pornography made by our student body," Karna Loyoza, spokesperson for The Catholic University of America, told CNA.
When the university last considered banning porn from the network, they found it would have been both expensive and ineffective. Now, due to advances in technology, it is now more affordable to implement this kind of filter, said Loyoza.
While students may work around a firewall and continue to access porn, "the student resolution made a convincing argument that banning porn on the University network sends the right message to the student body."
"No decision has been made on the ban, but the University is grateful to the SGA for bringing to our attention their desire that we ban pornography on the University network," said Loyoza.
Christine Rousselle is a former DC Correspondent for Catholic News Agency. Prior to working at CNA, she was the managing web editor of Townhall.com; she has a BA in political science from Providence College.