The Center for Spiritual and Religious Life coordinates religious activities. Student religious groups, after being registered by Student Organizations, Leadership and Service, will be assisted by the Center for Spiritual and Religious Life in fulfilling their aims insofar as these are consistent with other University policies.
Campus religious groups must be registered, and registered religious groups must have faculty or staff Advisers. Representatives of off-campus organizations may be invited onto the campus for specific purposes, but these representatives may not interfere with the self-determination of campus groups. Representatives of religious organizations my visit rooms in campus residences only with the prior invitation of the resident students of those rooms.
Off-campus representatives of religious organizations may meet with groups on campus and assist them in fulfilling their aims (when these are consistent with procedures established in this section of the Student Handbook), only after securing the written authorization of the Center for Spiritual and Religious Life. This authorization may include a letter of introduction to the University provided by the Center for Spiritual and Religious Life and will specify procedures to be followed. The Center for Spiritual and Religious Life will assist in providing meeting places.
Code of Behavior for Religious Groups
The element of personal development, as mentioned above has been given expression in the establishment of the Center for Spiritual and Religious Life, in the recognition of qualified affiliated religious professionals from off-campus organizations, and in the registration of student religious groups whose goals are in keeping with those of the University. The purposes of the University are harmonious with the purposes of addressing issues of religion, values, ethics, and morality of life; in helping members of the University community to articulate a personal philosophy of life, and in understanding the interactions of faith, intellectual inquiry, and social responsibility as bases for finding and affirming meaning and satisfaction in life.
Specific University goals for moral and religious development include the development of programs to help those in the University community to:
- understand their own faiths and the faiths of others;
- examine and affirm a personal faith or life philosophy;
- express these faiths and philosophies through association with others, through opportunities for worship, study, and service, and by engaging Vanderbilt’s religious pluralism through interfaith cooperation and dialogue;
- examine the relation of their faith or life philosophy to current moral, ethical, and social issues and to various academic disciplines and professional and vocational fields.
These goals will be met by the University in a non-sectarian manner, and the University expects all religious groups on campus to give evidence of tolerance, fairness, and respect for the religious, spiritual, and secular viewpoints represented at the University, to respect the non-sectarian nature of the University, and to uphold the University's commitment to creating a diverse and pluralistic community on campus.
The University expects that all religious groups which are affiliated, recognized, or registered, respectively, will conduct their affairs so that their policies, programs, and personal actions are in accordance with University catalogs, handbooks, and manuals, such as the Student Handbook, and the Faculty Manual. In particular, the University expects all religious groups to abide strictly by solicitation guidelines and with the provision that student groups must be led by full-time Vanderbilt students. The University also expects that all such religious groups on campus will conduct their affairs in such a manner that no one will be intimidated or coerced and that participants in any group may freely express their beliefs and values. The University requires all Registered Student Organizations to comply with the University’s Non-Discrimination Statement.
The University reserves the right to make other regulations as necessary, without notice, to secure maximum freedom, comfort, safety, and convenience for all. Violations of this code of behavior will be addressed through the University’s accountability process, the Center for Spiritual and Religious Life, and/or Title IX and Equal Opportunity and Access.