Campus Watch

Duties of Catholic Pols

AVE MARIA LAW SCHOOL, Aug. 21 — The school and the Our Sunday Visitor Foundation will sponsor a conference on the duties of Catholic politicians with respect to the Church's teaching on life issues on Sept. 16 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

Speakers will include Robert George, a professor of jurisprudence at Princeton University; Newsweek religion editor Kenneth Woodward; First Things editor Father Richard John Neuhaus; and Gerard Bradley of the University of Notre Dame School of Law.

While the conference — called “Public Witness/ Public Scandal: Faith, Politics and Life Issues” — is free and open to the public, call (734) 827-8073 or write to [email protected] by Sept. 10 to reserve a space.

Free Ride Less Free

NEW YORK POST, Aug. 10 — The average cost of attending a Catholic or other private college is up 97% since 1990 and stands at a national average of $29,000 for tuition, room and board. The equivalent cost of attending a public four-year college — just under $10,000 — is up 87% over the same period.

“ For public colleges, in par ticular, the increase … has been dramatic,” said consumer advocate Miriam Kramer, who acknowledged that students in state colleges are not accustomed to bearing so much of the cost of their education.

She reported that tuition increases this fall at the State University of New York will range to as high as 23% more than last year.

Freedom for Fliers

THE BLADE, Aug. 13 — Reversing a lower court decision in favor of the American Civil Liberties Union, a federal appeals court has ruled that an Ohio school district may include religious material among community fliers that it distributes to students, reported the Toledo daily.

The unanimous three-judge panel concluded that the school district does not endorse religion by distributing fliers advertising religious activities along with those from the Red Cross, 4-H Club and sports leagues.

The decision noted that other federal cour ts have reached a similar conclusion.

Religious Objection

THE HERALD SUN, Aug. 12 — The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill has declined to officially recognize and fund Alpha Iota Omega, a Christian fraternity, because the group refused to sign a nondiscrimi-nation policy that would open its membership to non-Christians, reported the North Carolina daily.

In a similar case last year, the university recognized and funded the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship after originally balking at the idea. The university switched course, distinguishing between InterVarsity's leadership, which is restricted to Christians only, and its membership, which remains open to all UNC students.

Catholic-Franciscan Ethos

ST. BONAVENTURE UNIVERSITY, Aug. 16 — The university announced that it is developing a new program to provide information, resources and support to enhance care at the end of life through inter-disciplinary scholarship and research, teaching and public outreach.

Known as the GRACE project — which refers to ger-ontology research, academic preparation and community enrichment — the university said the project will be distinguished by its location “within the distinctive Catholic-Franciscan ethos of St. Bonaventure.”