It is not news that the American college experience for too many young Catholic men and women has become one characterized by excessive drinking and promiscuity, with a significant decline in support for Catholic Church teaching, prayer, and Mass attendance.

What may be news to many Catholics is that these problems are not limited to secular colleges and universities. In the last several years, research and media coverage have revealed that the culture on too many Catholic campuses is sadly not much better than at non-Catholic schools.[1]

The Cardinal Newman Society has for 13 years worked to renew Catholic higher education, first by ridding Catholic campuses of programs and activities that undermine Catholic values. For instance, the Society has persuaded schools to remove links to abortion providers from their websites and to stop production of the vulgar play “The Vagina Monologues”—which celebrates depraved sexual experiences, including the seduction of an underage girl by a lesbian woman with alcohol. Since 2003, pressure from the Cardinal Newman Society and others has reduced the number of these productions on Catholic campuses from 32 in 2003 to 22 this year.

Unfortunately it has become clear that problems such as “The Vagina Monologues” are only symptoms of a larger culture of promiscuity and libertine sexual attitudes on Catholic campuses—not only among students, but also tragically among faculty, staff, and even sometimes college officials.

Simply confronting scandal will not alter this campus culture. A more comprehensive approach including education, student outreach, and peer support—where possible with support from college officials, faculty, and staff—is necessary to transform Catholic campuses to reflect what Pope John Paul II described as a “culture of life.”

At too many Catholic colleges and universities, the assumption of chastity that should be at the root of campus life is paid lip service at best. At the worst, it is pervasively undermined by campus policies, living arrangements, and officially sanctioned clubs, activities, or events.

Add to this the impact of homosexual and “reproductive rights” activists on Catholic campuses in the midst of a nationwide effort to redefine marriage, and the Church faces a rapidly worsening crisis having great social impact in the coming decades.[2]

Furthermore, too many students graduate from Catholic colleges and universities without a clear understanding of what the Church teaches on sexuality and marriage. “Doctrinal illiteracy” is significant among entering Catholic freshmen, and most college-level educators do not see their role as teaching doctrine, even in theology and religious studies departments. Worse, many theologians at Catholic colleges and universities distort or dissent from Church teaching on sexuality and marriage, thereby confusing students about sexual morality.

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[1] See for example the Cardinal Newman Society commissioned study conducted by the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) at UCLA, UCLAStudy.pdf.

[2] For numerous examples of these concerns, see the Cardinal Newman Society’s 2004 report, “Culture of Death on Catholic Campuses,” Culture_of_Death.pdf.