The Controversial Reason Some Religious Colleges Forgo Federal Funding
The schools avoid reporting requirements, but students can’t get grants or loans.
Grove City College, which sued the federal government for linking federal financial aid with adherence to anti-discrimination rules. (Courtesy of Grove City College)
IBBY CAPUTO AND JON MARCUS
JUL 7, 2016
In the storm over how much money the federal government spends on student aid, and the spiraling amount of federal loan debt graduates face, Hillsdale College is an oasis.
That’s because the Michigan school, founded by Baptists, doesn’t let its students take any of that government aid, which comes with strings attached—among other things, requiring that institutions follow federal regulations governing how to respond to sexual assault and banning discrimination based on sexual orientation.
It’s “a matter of principle,” David Whalen, Hillsdale’s provost, said of the college’s refusal to participate in federal financial-aid programs, which fall under what is known as Title IV of the laws that govern higher education. “The regulatory and bureaucratic intrusion that Title IV brings with it gets deeper and deeper with every passing year,” Whalen said. “As everyone knows, where there is money there is control.”
Widening Obama-administration protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people now appear to be further deepening concerns about government control at colleges and universities affiliated with religious denominations.
http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/07/the-controversial-reason-some-religious-colleges-forgo-federal-funding/490253/
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