| Line 25: |
Line 25: |
| | Bob Jones, Sr., the founder of BJU, was fearful of obtaining academic accreditation for the school. Over the years, as pressure mounted on the institution to give its students the benefits of accredited degrees, the university moved towards membership in the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools. Accreditation was not obtained until 2005.<ref>bju.edu: Bob Jones University Granted National Accreditation, Greenville, S.C., November 8, 2006[http://www.bju.edu/accreditation.html]</ref> | | Bob Jones, Sr., the founder of BJU, was fearful of obtaining academic accreditation for the school. Over the years, as pressure mounted on the institution to give its students the benefits of accredited degrees, the university moved towards membership in the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools. Accreditation was not obtained until 2005.<ref>bju.edu: Bob Jones University Granted National Accreditation, Greenville, S.C., November 8, 2006[http://www.bju.edu/accreditation.html]</ref> |
| | | | |
| − | ==Controversy== | + | ==Political Controversy== |
| | | | |
| − | The university has a controversial history of racial segregation. Until 1971 all black students were forbidden from enrolling. Unmarried blacks were allowed to enroll from 1975 in response to the ruling in McCrary v. Runyon by the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit that private universities were prohibited from practicing racial discrimination. Upon the admission of unmarried blacks, all students were prohibited from interracial dating and marriage. As a result of the racially discriminatory policies, the Internal Revenue Service revoked the the university's 501(c)(3) tax exempt status in 1976 and this revocation was upheld in 1983 by the ruling of the Supreme Court of the United States in Bob Jones University v. United States.<ref> BOB JONES UNIVERSITY v. UNITED STATES, 461 U.S. 574 (1983) [http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/cgi-bin/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=461&invol=574]</ref> | + | In the primary race in 2000, [[George W. Bush]] campaigned at BJU, where he stated "I look forward to publicly defending our conservative philosophy." <ref>At Bob Jones U., A Disturbing Lesson About The Real George W., by Derrick Jackson[http://www.commondreams.org/views/020900-101.htm]</ref> His Republican rival, [[John McCain]], used the visit against Bush in a telephone calling campaign that turned out [[Catholic]] voters for the Senator. The McCain ad stated "Governor George Bush has campaigned against Sen. John McCain by seeking the support of southern fundamentalists who express anti-Catholic views." McCain said the calls didn't accuse Bush of bigotry, only the people Bush was turning to for support. <ref>CBS News: Bush Regrets Bob Jones U. Calls Visit There "A Missed Opportunity" NEW YORK, Feb. 27, 2000[http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2000/02/27/politics/main165529.shtml]</ref> |
| | | | |
| − | In the primary race in 2000, [[George W. Bush]] campaigned at BJU, where he stated "I look forward to publicly defending our conservative philosophy." <ref>At Bob Jones U., A Disturbing Lesson About The Real George W., by Derrick Jackson[http://www.commondreams.org/views/020900-101.htm]</ref> His Republican rival, [[John McCain]], used the visit against Bush in a telephone calling campaign that turned out [[Catholic]] voters for the Senator. The McCain ad stated "Governor George Bush has campaigned against Sen. John McCain by seeking the support of southern fundamentalists who express anti-Catholic views." McCain said the calls didn't accuse Bush of bigotry, only the people Bush was turning to for support. <ref>CBS News: Bush Regrets Bob Jones U. Calls Visit There "A Missed Opportunity" NEW YORK, Feb. 27, 2000[http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2000/02/27/politics/main165529.shtml]</ref> Bush later apologized in a letter to Cardinal John O'Connor of New York, stating "On reflection, I should have been more clear in disassociating myself from anti-Catholic sentiments and racial prejudice. It was a missed opportunity, causing needless offense, which I deeply regret."<ref>CNN: George W. Bush's Visit to Bob Jones University Continues to Stir up Controversy, aired February 27, 2000 - 8:09 p.m. ET [http://edition.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0002/27/wv.12.html]</ref>
| + | Such spats are common in primaries, and McCain subsequently endorsed Bush for president in 2000 and Bush has endorsed McCain for president in 2008. |
| | | | |
| − | The university announced in 2000 that it was abandoning its ban on interracial dating following negative publicity earlier that year.<ref>CNN: Bob Jones University ends ban on interracial dating, March 4, 2000 [http://archives.cnn.com/2000/US/03/04/bob.jones/]</ref> | + | == Racial Controversy == |
| | + | |
| | + | [[South Carolina]] was the first to secede from the Union to spark the [[Civil War]], and was the State having the greatest dependence on slavery. It had continuing racial controversies throughout the 20th century, having as its most popular senator [[Strom Thurmond]], whom [[liberals]] accused of being a racist. |
| | + | |
| | + | Bob Jones University, a private university, did not enroll black students until 1971. Afterwards it had a policy against interracial dating and marriage, for which the Internal Revenue Service revoked the the university's 501(c)(3) tax exempt status in 1976.<ref>This ruling was upheld, over the objection of the U.S. Solicitor General, in 1983 by the ruling of the Supreme Court of the United States in Bob Jones University v. United States.<ref> BOB JONES UNIVERSITY v. UNITED STATES, 461 U.S. 574 (1983) [http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/cgi-bin/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=461&invol=574].</ref> |
| | + | |
| | + | The university announced in 2000 that its policy against interracial dating was no longer being enforced and was officially discarded.<ref>CNN: Bob Jones University ends ban on interracial dating, March 4, 2000 [http://archives.cnn.com/2000/US/03/04/bob.jones/]</ref> |
| | | | |
| | == References == | | == References == |