Koran Is Okay

THE NEWS & OBSERVER, Aug. 16 — A federal judge has refused to grant a temporary restraining order to block a requirement that incoming freshmen and transfer students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill read and discuss a book about the Koran, reported the Raleigh, N.C., daily.

Federal Judge Carlton Tilley ruled against plaintiffs who had argued that assigning the book — Approaching the Qur'án: The Early Revelations, by Michael Sells — violated the constitutional separation of church and state.

Two members of the Family Policy Network, a Protestant group, were listed among those who filed the suit along with three anonymous freshmen, one of whom is Catholic.

Ave Maria Law Accredited

CHRONICLE.COM, Aug. 16 — Ave Maria, the two-year Catholic law school in Ann Arbor, Mich., has won provisional accreditation from the American Bar Association, allowing graduates to sit for the bar exam in any state.

Ave Maria was founded by philanthropist Thomas Mona-ghan in 2000 in order to produce lawyers guided by both faith and reason.

“Some legal scholars questioned whether the school's religious focus might make it difficult for professors and students to openly debate issues,” the Chronicle said. But school officials said the bar association “was convinced that the school was not forcing its views on anyone.”

In Memoriam

ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY, July 29 — The Vincentians' New York university has broken ground on the $12 million DaSilva Hall, a technology lab, classroom and office building, according to a St. John's announcement. The building was named for John DaSilva, a St. John's alumnus who died in a car accident shortly after his graduation in 1980.

The building was dedicated on the Staten Island campus and received financial support from the DaSilva family and several local financial institutions.

No Church-State Conflict

LIPSCOMB UNIVERSITY, Aug. 15 — The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has reversed a district court decision and affirmed that Industrial Development Bonds awarded to Lipscomb in the early 1990s are constitutional, announced the Churches of Christ university.

In a 2–1 decision, the court held that the bonds were issued through a religiously neutral program of metro Nashville, Tenn., and provided only indirect aid to Lipscomb, according to the majority opinion written by U.S. District Judge Edmund Sargus Jr.

John XXIII Medal

THE COLLEGE OF NEW ROCHELLE, July 29 — Capuchin Father Jack Rath-schmidt, the longtime campus chaplain, was awarded the college's Pope John XXIII Medal in recognition of his commitment to the school, which is administered by the Ursuline Sisters. In its announcement, the college said Father Rath-schmidt will become director of students in the Capuchin formation program.

Affiliation

CATHOLIC NEW YORK, August — Dominican College has entered into agreements that will enable students graduating with associate's degrees from Rockland Community College and the Helene Fuld College of Nursing to transfer credits to Dominican in order to pursue a bachelor's degree in certain fields. Dominican, located north of New York City in Orangeburg, N.Y., is administered by the Dominican Sisters of Blauvelt.