Vanderbilt University Makes Catholic Student Group Change Its Name

by Karla Dial
April 12, 2012

Rather than allow people who don’t share their faith to hold leadership positions, a faith-based student group at Vanderbilt University announced last month it will become an off-campus ministry at the end of the year.

As a result, the university announced this week that Vanderbilt Catholic will have to change its name.

“Those student groups who choose not to comply with the university’s nondiscrimination policy do forfeit the privileges associated with registered student organization status, and that includes the use of the Vanderbilt name,” Beth Fortune, the school’s spokesperson, told Fox News.

The St. Thomas More Society, another Catholic group, has also announced plans to move off campus rather than comply with the new policy.

In the meantime, 11 Christian groups remaining on campus — for the moment — applied for university recognition last week while refusing to alter their statements of faith. The deadline for such applications to be submitted for the 2012-13 academic year is April 16. the rest