Vanderbilt's Intolerant Tolerance
Vanderbilt University was founded in 1873 by members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. This year, it became actively hostile to Christians. It's a private university and private universities can do what they want, of course, but it does show the intolerance of so-called "tolerance" initiatives.
What happened is that Vanderbilt has decided that it's a violation of the school's "discrimination" policy to allow groups to have membership qualifications. So, for example, Christian groups can't require that their leaders are Christian.
If that sounds insane to you, it's because it is. And yes, it all started as an attempt to get traditional Christians to back off on their rules requiring members to follow Christian teachings on sexuality. Of course.
So long story short is that Christian groups are being driven off campus. The Tennessean reports on the first group to make the move:
“The discriminatory non-discrimination policy at Vanderbilt University has forced our hand,” said Rev. John Sims Baker, chaplain of Vanderbilt Catholic, in a statement Tuesday. “… Our purpose has always been to share the Gospel and proudly to proclaim our Catholic faith. What other reason could there be for a Catholic organization at Vanderbilt? How can we say it is not important that a Catholic lead a Catholic organization?”
Beth Fortune, vice chancellor for public affairs at Vanderbilt, said the school values religious groups on campus and was aware of the Vanderbilt Catholic decision.
“We regret, but respect, their decision,” Fortune said in a emailed statement. “We believe, though, that the vast majority of our more than 400 registered student organizations easily will comply with the policy.”
These toleration policies sound so similar to what an authoritarian government seeking to restrict religious freedom might do. Funny, that.
I mentioned this before but D.A. Carson's new The Intolerance of Tolerance shows how the concept of tolerance has been manipulated to create the current climate of hostility.
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Aug '10
Re: Vanderbilt's Intolerant Tolerance
Maybe the best way to show the utter ridiculousness of this policy is to play the same game: Have College Republicans join and elect leadership of the Young Democrats, white kids join and become leadership of the jistorically black fraternities, sororities, Conservative Christians join and elect leaders of the LBGT groups, etc., etc.
May '10
Re: Vanderbilt's Intolerant Tolerance
I asked this question on Ricochet before, but didn't get a response, so I'll ask again. Why couldn't a dedicated group of right-wing protesters identify a small, vulnerable left-wing campus group, quietly become members until they reach majority status, then elect their own as officers and trash the group's name by turning it into a de facto right-wing group? Why not? Why not?
Imagine the howls of rage from Vanderbilt's administrators when the local chapter of Save the Gay Whales (or whatnot) carpet the campus with posters demanding the repeal of Obamacare, etc. etc.
Our side could have some fun, do some civil disobedience on a very mild level, and rub Vanderbilt's collective nose in the insane policy it's created.
May '10
Re: Vanderbilt's Intolerant Tolerance
I see Matthew has the same idea. It seems obvious to me, really.
Jan '11
Re: Vanderbilt's Intolerant Tolerance
“We believe, though, that the vast majority of our more than 400 registered student organizations easily will comply with the policy.”
Yeah. That's sad, really, but probably true.
Resistance is futile.
May '10
Re: Vanderbilt's Intolerant Tolerance
Conservatives would have more success preserving the conservatism of universities like Hillsdale and Ave Maria than trying to convert universities already dominated by liberal leadership.
Let liberals destroy themselves as they have done in the state of California. But turn them away when they migrate to more sensible schools and try to repeat their mistakes.
Universities are businesses. Their mistake was to adopt the common and contemptible "customer is always right" policy. Like successful small businesses, they need to enforce standards on their customers. Universities have been corrupted by a union mentality that suggests students should run the place. Faculty should run the place. Student organizations have no freedoms except what university administrators give them.
Aug '10
Re: Vanderbilt's Intolerant Tolerance
There is and excellent conversation with D.A. Carson on his The Intolerance of Tolerance at Al Mohler's Thinking In Public podcast.
I learned a lot about the Christian doctrine of tolerance, which is discussed in contrast.
Thinking In Public is an excellent resource, I find myself fully immersed in the conversations Dr. Mohler holds there.
May '10
Re: Vanderbilt's Intolerant Tolerance
Tolerance is not the answer. This is the answer.
May '10
Re: Vanderbilt's Intolerant Tolerance
And as the talented Kate McMillan over at Small Dead Animals asks:
What's the opposite of diversity? University!
Jul '11
Re: Vanderbilt's Intolerant Tolerance
I'm going to join an atheist women's group, a Muslim group, and a transgender group asap.
Aug '10
Re: Vanderbilt's Intolerant Tolerance
Mollie Hemingway, Ed.:
What happened is that Vanderbilt has decided that it's a violation of the school's "discrimination" policy to allow groups to have membership qualifications.
Well, there goes the campus music scene... and drama... and dance... At least, if they apply this policy honestly.
How many of us arty-tarty types want to be a member of a performing-arts club that's not allowed to hold auditions? Some do -- and non-auditioned clubs already exist for them. But many do not.
Apparently you shouldn't even be able to work around this policy by saying that anyone can be a "member", but only qualified members can actively participate, since the policy even prohibits religious groups from selecting qualified leaders:
Aug '10
Re: Vanderbilt's Intolerant Tolerance
Will subject-matter associations be forced to admit students from other disciplines? For example, will the Political Science Association be forced to accept a president who isn't a Poli-Sci major?
Apr '11
Re: Vanderbilt's Intolerant Tolerance
Dennis Prager stated it succinctly on his radio show yesterday. He said, and I am paraphrasing, the Left only destroy things of value, they have never created a single one. They remind one, of their being similar to locusts and leaving a path of destruction where ever they go.
The reason conservatives can be rolled so easily in areas such as these is due to the fact we honestly don't care that others wish to assemble and become groups at their discretion but we live and espouse freedom for all: That is until despotic leadership causes us to rise up as our founders did and gave us a free nation.
May '10
Re: Vanderbilt's Intolerant Tolerance
Re: #5. Actually, Aaron, I'd argue that the faculty should NOT run universities. After a career at a university I can tell you that administration is a skill set, research is a skill set, teaching is a skill set. Few people have all three, and fewer still have all three to such a high degree that they can excell as a faculty member to such a degree that they can qualify to be aa high level administrator, and then excell at that, too.
May '10
Re: Vanderbilt's Intolerant Tolerance
I had a long conversation (via IM) with a co-worker about this. He's from the moderate left. He felt this was, at worst, a "tempest in a teapot". His question was, "why would non-Catholics [for example] even want to join Catholic groups?"
After trying a number of arguments, I finally got him to start taking me seriously only when I laid this out for him:
May '10
Re: Vanderbilt's Intolerant Tolerance
Perhaps I should not have said "faculty" but only "administrators". Teachers are employees, not employers. They have no more right than students to change the founding purpose of a university.
For a university to maintain a conservative identity, it must have (1) conservative administrative leadership, (2) enough conservative students and possibly donors to remain afloat financially, and (3) lawyers capable of fending off liberal vandals.
Donors (mostly alumni?) are similar to stockholders, except the return on investment they expect is not financial but cultural. So it's perhaps a little odd that universities so often focus on expansion, rather than quality assurance.
Edited on March 28, 2012 at 8:16pmNov '10
Re: Vanderbilt's Intolerant Tolerance
Oh the shame of having my alma mater get this one so wrong. Ugh.
Aug '10
Re: Vanderbilt's Intolerant Tolerance
Didn't William F. Buckley argue that the alumni should run universities?
Dec '11
Re: Vanderbilt's Intolerant Tolerance
As a Vanderbilt graduate, I can honestly say I saw this coming with every alumni newsletter I've received in the last 5-8 years. Although not a member of any of the religious organizations or a participant in Bible study groups while I was on campus, this element of university life was both respected and given its proper due as part of the uniquely traditional, southern Vandy culture. I shudder to think what's next on the authoritarian hit list. (Probably the Greek system...) :(
Edited on April 2, 2012 at 12:04am