{"id":137880,"date":"2023-11-27T15:31:35","date_gmt":"2023-11-27T20:31:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thecollegefix.com\/?p=137880"},"modified":"2023-11-27T15:31:35","modified_gmt":"2023-11-27T20:31:35","slug":"catholic-womens-college-to-admit-students-who-identify-as-women-in-fall-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thecollegefix.com\/catholic-womens-college-to-admit-students-who-identify-as-women-in-fall-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Catholic women\u2019s college to admit students who \u2018identify as women\u2019 in fall 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"

Saint Mary\u2019s still working on housing plans, president says<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Saint Mary\u2019s College will begin admitting students who \u201cidentify as women\u201d in the fall of 2024, the president of the Catholic institution recently announced.<\/p>\n

The new non-discrimination policy<\/a> at the Indiana school states that admissions will be open to undergraduate students \u201cwhose sex is female or who consistently live and identify as women.\u201d<\/p>\n

Saint Mary\u2019s President Katie Conboy informed the campus of the change in an email last week, saying the Board of Trustees \u201cfully supports\u201d it, The Observer<\/em> student newspaper reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis confidence from our Board underscores their commitment that as an employer, Saint Mary\u2019s must stand firm in its position as an inclusive community leader, and that as educators, we should continue to create an environment where all women belong and thrive,\u201d Conboy wrote.<\/p>\n

The college will begin considering transgender student applicants in the fall 2024, according to her email.<\/p>\n

Conboy said she created a President\u2019s Task Force for Gender Identity and Expression earlier this year after the Board of Trustees approved the policy on June 23. She said the task force plans to issue recommendations soon regarding housing and other considerations involving the new policy.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are by no means the first Catholic women\u2019s college to adopt a policy with this scope,\u201d Conboy wrote. \u201cIn drafting the language for this update, I have relied on the guidance of the Executive Team and others to ensure that our message is not only in line with best practices for today\u2019s college students, but that it also encompasses our commitment to operate as a Catholic women\u2019s college.\u201d<\/p>\n

The announcement drew backlash from students, women\u2019s sports advocate Riley Gaines, and others.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the same St Mary’s that wouldn’t allow a student-led @TPUSA chapter because their messaging on biological sex does \u2018not align\u2019 with the college\u2019s mission,\u201d Gaines wrote<\/a> on X. \u201cIf I was an alum, I wouldn’t give this school another dime.\u201d<\/p>\n

Claire Bettag, a junior at Saint Mary\u2019s, told<\/a> The Daily Signal<\/em> she is concerned that women will be forced to share bathrooms and living quarters with men.<\/p>\n

\u201cSaint Mary\u2019s College is no longer Catholic,\u201d Bettag said. \u201cIt is no longer a women\u2019s institution. This is fraudulent misrepresentation at best. Every student should be entitled to a refund for fraudulent misrepresentation. An attorney should file a class action lawsuit against the college. They have abandoned their faith, and they\u2019ve abandoned the women.\u201d<\/p>\n

In recent years, several other historically women\u2019s colleges, including Christian institutions, have revised admissions policies to include biological men who identify as women.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, two affiliated Catholic colleges in Minnesota \u2013 the College of Saint Benedict for Women and Saint John\u2019s University for Men \u2013 adopted a new policy allowing \u201cnon-binary, gender-fluid, and gender-nonconforming individuals\u201d to enroll in a men\u2019s or women\u2019s college based on the sex with which they identify, The College Fix<\/em> reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Another private institution, Wellesley College in Massachusetts admitted<\/a> its first \u201ctransgender woman\u201d in 2017.<\/p>\n

MORE: \u2018Living as a man\u2019: An all-male college can\u2019t explain its own transgender admission policy<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

IMAGE: Saint Mary’s College\/Facebook<\/p>\n

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