A budding Catholic college in Wyoming rejected federal student aid this winter, the school said, to avoid federal intrusion on its religious freedom.
The school, Wyoming Catholic College, which first began enrolling students in 2007, is not yet accredited by the U.S. Department of Education, so students do not yet qualify for student aid. Last year, the school grew closer to accreditation, yet its governing board voted unanimously against accepting federal money, the New York Times reported.
“It allows us to practice our Catholic faith without qualifying it,” Kevin Roberts, the college’s president, told the Times. “It’s clear that this administration does not care about Catholic teaching.”
Christian conservatives often criticize the Obama administration’s policies as hostile toward religious freedom on matters of birth control and gay marriage.
Wyoming Catholic College’s annual tuition is $28,000. Many students use private loans to subsidize the cost.
The Times notes that other schools, including Christendom College in Virginia, Hillsdale College in Michigan and New St. Andrews College in Idaho, also reject federal aid.
“We really didn’t want the federal government meddling in our lives here,” said David S. Kellogg, a Wyoming Catholic board member, in an interview with the Times. “The federal government hands you money and then threatens to withdraw that money if you don’t do what they want.”
By rejecting federal aid, the school calculated that it was losing $650,000 in federal loans for students and $250,000 in Pell grants.
