Proving once again that religious colleges are the most repressive institutions in higher education, Anna Maria College has disinvited Victoria Kennedy, widow of Sen. Ted Kennedy, from giving the commencement address this year after the invitation was denounced by Bishop Robert J. McManus, who objected to her liberal views. Predictably, this act of censorship is celebrated by the Cardinal Newman Society.
Meanwhile, at Vanderbilt University, the student group Vanderbilt Catholic has decided to no longer be a registered student organization because they would be unable to impose leadership requirements. However, the ban on Victoria Kennedy, a pro-choice Catholic who supports gay rights, shows why it's a good thing for universities to prohibit ideological restrictions on student leaders and allow the students to choose the leaders they want. Imagine if Vanderbilt Catholics decided to choose a pro-choice Catholic as leader and someone challenged the election for violating a requirement of adherence to Catholic doctrine. Should universities be in the business of investigating the beliefs of students and then removing them from leadership posts that their fellow students elected them to?
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