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Yes, but...with VU being a private institution, does the protected class system apply to VU? For example, I suspect Baylor University has no problem allowing Christian groups on campus to require members/leaders to profess a belief in Jesus Christ...and I don't believe BU is violiating any law in allowing that type of requirement.
VU is no more compelled to protect biology majors than it is compelled to protect Christians, ie its not compelled to protect either one. VU is selective in what groups it chooses to protect, not because of force of law but b/c of which groups it deems worthy of protection and which groups it believes are not worthy of protection. Very arbitrary in my view.
Posted on 4/23 2:54 PM | IP: Logged
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As a private institution it does not, but there is a reason that the protected classes are pretty much the same (with the exception of sexual orientation just recently becoming more uniformly included; and I believe socio-economic class is bandied about by some as deserving inclusion -- though I don't believe Vandy or much of anyone includes those). Protected classes are protected because they historically have faced discrimination and, therefore, policies that may discriminate against them require greater scrutiny. Interest in biology is not a protected class because there is no concern there. Much as is the case with religious organizations, joining it presupposes a degree of interest.
A better example would be if the biology group required acceptance of evolution and rejection of creationism. Such a belief structure would probably be seen by most biologists as natural (as someone who leads a group dedicated to biology would probably be best served accepting one of the most important scientific theories impacting that field of science -- though it clearly is not necessary as there are biologists who are also creationists), but it would be violative of religious freedoms and the protection against discrimination on religious grounds. As such, members of the group could certainly consider the beliefs regarding evolution / creationism; however, it would be against Vanderbilt's policy to allow a group to mandate belief in evolution and rejection of creationism.
This post was edited on 4/23 3:22 PM by NewYorkDore
Originally posted by NewYorkDore:
A better example would be if the biology group required acceptance of evolution and rejection of creationism. This post was edited on 4/23 3:22 PM by NewYorkDore
Not 100% on topic, but probably of interest to most in the debate if they're not familiar with it: Last term we had a class discussion on the case of Michael Dini, a Texas Tech prof who sought to require an affirmation of belief in evolution as a prerequisite to letters of recommendation for students. He got sued by a premed student, and in the end they settled with him changing his policy a bit. Fascinating case from multiple angles. (I was on the team in class arguing for the plaintiff.)
This post was edited on 4/23 3:29 PM by PhilipVU94
Originally posted by LoneStarVU:
Yes, but...with VU being a private institution, does the protected class system apply to VU? For example, I suspect Baylor University has no problem allowing Christian groups on campus to require members/leaders to profess a belief in Jesus Christ...and I don't believe BU is violiating any law in allowing that type of requirement.
VU is no more compelled to protect biology majors than it is compelled to protect Christians, ie its not compelled to protect either one. VU is selective in what groups it chooses to protect, not because of force of law but b/c of which groups it deems worthy of protection and which groups it believes are not worthy of protection. Very arbitrary in my view.
LoneStar perceptive insight.
If it wants to avoid inconsistency VU has to scrub clean all student group constitutions of any requirement other than being a student at VU. Surely no one believes that out of all the hundreds of student groups on campus, none require a profession of interest in the subject matter of the group, eg chess club members "must enjoy the game of chess". If any groups are allowed to maintain similiar requirements, VU is plainly inconsistent and selective in its enforcement.
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