Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University operate ‘DEIJ’ office, encourage reporting ‘bias’
The Young America’s Foundation posted screenshots that showed how two catholic colleges adopted a 'Non-Binary Admission Policy' for students 'who do not identify within the binary.'
The colleges also operate a 'Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice' office, and ask students to report 'bias and hate' on campus.
Despite the apparent reversal of a “Non-Binary Admission Policy” which was implemented in 2023 by two Catholic Colleges in Michigan, the two colleges are upholding controversial policies on their campuses.
The Young America’s Foundation (YAF) reported on its website in 2023 that The College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University had announced a new admissions policy intended to benefit “students who have been ‘oppressed’ by gender and ‘who do not identify within the binary’ will be allowed to apply for enrollment at either school.”
Specifically, the admissions process was aimed to “advance [the] mission and values in light of the contemporary social, political and economic landscape,” with respect to how the two schools are “deeply rooted in their identity and mission as a Catholic and Benedictine, residential, liberal arts college for women and men respectively.”
The colleges added that the policy resulted from a thoughtful discourse which engaged “community stakeholders” who reflected on the ways to adhere to the “time-tested mission and values” of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University, which were found in 1913 and 1856. The conversations sought to incorporate “evolving understandings of gender identity.”
Currently, the website for each of the colleges has scrubbed any mention of the policy.
In addition to Saint Benedict and Saint John’s policy from 2023, the schools operate a “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice” office. The office’s website offers a letter from the President of the two colleges, where he states that the office is founded on “our Benedictine Values and Wisdom traditions, our commitment to the Catholic intellectual and social traditions, and our institutional learning goals.”
The colleges published a “DEIJ Strategic Plan” in December, 2024, which stated that the school is seeking to create an “inclusive ecosystem,” provide students with “gender-inclusive restrooms.”
[RELATED: Notre Dame swaps DEI office label for religious name, retains LGBT, race programs]
The plan also provides students with terms and definitions that relate to the “DEIJ Strategic Plan” on campus, including: “ableism,” “antiracist,” “BIPOC,” “cultural fluency,” “implicit bias,” “microaggression[s],” “minoritized,” “personal pronouns,” “social justice,” “white supremacy,” and “xenophobia.”
The plan also offers specific definitions for other gender-based terms, including: “gender binary,” “gender dsyphoria,” “gender expression,” “gender nonconforming,” “gender spectrum,” “genderism,” and “genderqueer.”
The pair of colleges also offer students a “Bias Incident Toolkit” associated with its’ “Bias Response Prevention Team” that tells students to report their peers for bias “regardless of whether [their] behavior violates policy.” Students are asked to report anything antithetical to the colleges’ “values of honoring the full dignity of each person and promoting justice and the common good.”
The webpage highlights that “even when offenders are not aware (unconscious bias) or do not intend to offend, bias may be revealed that is worthy of a response and can serve as an opportunity for education.”
Campus Reform contacted The College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University for comment. The article will be updated accordingly.
