by Addison Smith
Earlier this week, Campus Reform reported on the North Dakota Catholic Conference’s (NDCC) concerns surrounding the University of North Dakota’s (UND) ‘Gender Inclusion’ policy proposal.
Today, UND President Andrew Armacost reportedly announced it would “cease its work” on the policy and “will not implement it,” according to a statement provided to Campus Reform by NDCC’s Executive Director Christopher Dodson.
“The recent public discussion about a draft gender inclusion policy at the University of North Dakota highlighted concerns both about freedom of speech and religious exercise and expression and about protections for transgender students, faculty, and staff members,” Armacost’s statement reads.
Dodson had previously penned a letter to Catholic high school parents warning them about the potential dangers of the policy should it be put in place.
“As a result of the recent discussions and because existing policies already provide equal opportunity protections to all of our campus members,” Armacost elaborated in his statement, “UND will cease its work on this draft policy and will not implement it.”
Armacost concluded by clarifying the school’s “commitment to free speech, the free exchange of ideas, and a civil dialogue, which are central to the mission of [UND].”
NDCC issued the following statement in response to the news.
“The North Dakota Catholic Conference welcomes the University of North Dakota’s decision to cease work on the draft policy and not implement it. We appreciate and support UND’s commitment to providing a safe and respectful environment that respects the free speech and religious rights of all students, faculty, staff, and campus visitors. No one should feel unwelcome on our state’s campuses.”
The statement continues:
“Following last week’s press conference by UND officials, some questions still remained regarding housing assignments. We have had subsequent conversations with UND President Andrew Armacost during which he assured us that UND’s housing practices will not change. This clarification resolves our earlier concerns about housing.”
Campus Reform reached out to UND to confirm these developments. This article will be updated accordingly.
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Addison Smith is a Campus Reform Reporter and a student, studying Business Marketing at Liberty University. Addison previously worked with Liberty University’s Standing for Freedom Center as a social media manager, and The College Fix as a student reporter. He was also a Campus Reform Senior Correspondent. Addison’s work has been featured in Fox News, Daily Wire, Breitbart, NewsMax, The Blaze and more.
Photo “University of North Dakota Students” by University of North Dakota.
