St. Mary’s College, an all-girls Catholic institution located in Notre Dame, Indiana, reversed a decision that would have allowed biological males to attend the school if they could provide a documented history of identifying as a woman.
In November, St. Mary’s announced that beginning in the fall of 2024, they would allow men identifying as women to enroll at the school.
The Observer, the student newspaper that serves students at Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s, and Holly Cross, first reported on the impending change to enrollment.
Saint Mary’s non-discrimination policy now states the College considers admission for undergraduate applicants “whose sex is female or who consistently live and identify as women.” The Board of Trustees approved the change on June 23.
In an email sent to faculty, staff and students Tuesday evening, President Katie Conboy said the College is still determining the practices that will follow from the policy. Admissions will begin considering transgender applicants in fall 2024, according to the email.
The college faced intense backlash from alumni and students following the November announcement.
In an email obtained by Catholic News Agency, St. Mary’s President Katie Conboy said the college would “return to our previous admission policy” and reverse the decision.
“When the board approved this update, we viewed it as a reflection of our college’s commitment to live our Catholic values as a loving and just community,” the letter said. “We believed it affirmed our identity as an inclusive, Catholic, women’s college.”
“It is increasingly clear, however, that the position we took is not shared by all members of our community,” the email continued. “Some worried that this was much more than a policy decision: They felt it was a dilution of our mission or even a threat to our Catholic identity.”
“As this last month unfolded, we lost people’s trust and unintentionally created division where we had hoped for unity,” the message said. “For this, we are deeply sorry.”
The letter said that the school in January would begin a series of “listening sessions” meant to “explore what it means to embrace our values as a Catholic, women’s college.”
“We will continue to work toward understanding how a college like ours can become a true home, a place of open doors and open arms, where everyone, with all their differences intact, belongs,” it said.
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