Y. prepared for marchers

"I must congratulate the BYU security officers for their restrained, even kind treatment of the demonstrators," Morrow told the Deseret Morning News via e-mail on Wednesday. "That picture of the security officer kneeling next to one and talking was very impressive. Back in the 70s, that was not the case."

BYU is still criticized for its treatment of gays. Last year, the Princeton Review ranked BYU 10th on its list of the 10 schools with the lowest acceptance of the gay community, based on surveys of 110,000 students nationwide.

BYU public communications chief Carri Jenkins said the university's preparations for the Soulforce visit began in January. That's when university administrators learned BYU was on the itinerary for the national bus tour to conservative Christian and military colleges and universities the group considers hostile to gays.

Planning included rare mass e-mails to faculty, staff and students, contact with at least one campus police force at another school included on the tour and advice from LDS Church Public Affairs and church security.

Soulforce provided BYU with a list of initiatives. "We told them we could not accommodate them," Jenkins said.

BYU set clear guidelines for Soulforce weeks ago. Jenkins said a letter was sent that included a map marked with restricted areas, including the MTC. While Soulforce agreed to avoid those areas and had a track record of abiding by such agreements during visits to other campuses, BYU and the church took no chances of an incident at the MTC, where hundreds of men and women are studying in a strictly controlled environment during the first weeks of two-year proselyting missions to countries around the world.

BYU's student life vice president Jan Scharman sent two e-mails to BYU faculty and staff. In the second message, she said BYU informed Soulforce it could have no access to classrooms, administrative offices and residence halls.

"If Soulforce members do come uninvited into your office, classroom or residence hall, please simply remind them that they do not have access to your area and that this restriction has been communicated in advance to Soulforce leaders," Scharman wrote.

Scharman sent an e-mail to students asking them to be respectful, and it turned out they were. On Monday, Soulforce members engaged students on campus in civil, small-group discussions monitored by BYU police and public communications officials. On Tuesday, as Soulforce marched to campus, the plainclothes police officers positioned themselves along the route in unmarked vans and cars. Most went unnoticed by the marchers.