Catholic Student Group Splits With Vanderbilt Over Nondiscrimination Policy

In a dispute with Vanderbilt University over a nondiscrimination policy that bars student organizations from requiring their leaders to hold specific religious beliefs, a Catholic student group says it will not re-register with the university and will become an off-campus ministry instead, The Tennessean reported. The university put several religious organizations on provisional status last fall for violating the policy and has been trying to work out a compromise with the groups. The Rev. John Sims Baker, chaplain of the departing group, Vanderbilt Catholic, said in a statement this week that the policy itself was discriminatory and had forced the group’s hand.