Fidelity

ALLAFRICA.COM, Aug. 6 — Bishop Matthias Sekamaanya of Uganda's Diocese of Lugazi said those who do not wish to follow Catholic teaching should not teach at or send their children to Catholic schools in his diocese, the African news Web site reported.

“It is my mission to see that Catholic teaching is imparted to the followers of the Church,” Bishop Sekamaanya explained to a gathering on “Teachers Day.”

He said his diocese would soon issue a new education policy that would develop his position on a number of fronts, including giving Catholic children preference in admissions.

Lavender Fordham?

LAVENDERLAW.ORG — New York's Fordham University will host and serve as a sponsor of the annual conference of the National Lesbian and Gay Law Association and the National Lesbian and Gay Law Foundation on Oct. 17-19 at the Jesuit university's school of law in Manhattan, according to the association's Web site.

This year's conference will include workshops and talks on such topics as estate planning, domestic violence, trans-gender issues and “sodomy law developments.”

‘Best’ Colleges

US NEWS & WORLD REPORT, Sept. 1 — In the magazine's annual ranking of the nation's best colleges and universities, Catholic institutions fared best in the category of best universities/master's degrees.

The category ranks schools with undergraduate and master's programs but few, if any, doctoral programs.

In this category, divided by region, Villanova University in Pennsylvania topped the list in the Nor th while Creighton University in Omaha, Neb., was awarded the same slot in the Midwest. Seven of the top 15 regional universities in the West were Catholic.

Five other Catholic colleges were among the top 15 in the North while four others were among the final 15 in the Midwest. Two Catholic schools made the top 15 in the Southern region.

Three Catholic colleges made the magazine's overall top 50, including the University of Notre Dame in Indiana (19th), Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., (23rd) and Boston College (40th).

Fair Field?

CONNECTICUT POST, Aug. 19 — Former Fairfield University basketball players allege that coaches gave cash to players, falsified drug tests and did schoolwork for members of the team, the newspaper reported in an exclusive.

“We will simply not tolerate any improprieties,” said Jesuit Father Aloysius Kelley, the school's president, as he announced an internal investigation into whether NCAA rules had been violated.

Catholic Identity

DES MOINES REGISTER, Aug. 23 — After being known for 68 years as simply Dowling High School, the school has been renamed Dowling Catholic High School, the Iowa daily reported.

“People think of us as a good public school, not a private Catholic school,” said Jerr y Deegan, president of Dowling Catholic. He said the name change is a way of “really stepping up and saying who we are.”

The change may be part of a trend, at least in Iowa. Kuemper High School in Carroll became Kuemper Catholic several years ago — at the prompting of students who, according to one official, “said they wanted to distinguish themselves.”