“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.
A school spokeswoman had told CNA last month that the intention behind the new admissions rule was to “clarify our nondiscrimination policy to be more inclusive.”
