Three years ago, as I sat applying for jobs as a theological/religious studies librarian, I kept finding jobs at institutions that required me to sign a statement of belief or conduct clause that actively discriminated against myself. As a LGBTQ+ person, this greatly concerned me, as I thought Title IX and the EEOC protected me from such positions. I was terribly wrong.

I began researching to find out which schools were exempt from Title IX, and then learned that many schools are not exempt and still have these clauses in place. Thus, my project was born, and three years later, I have complied a list of schools that do not have Title IX exemptions and require faculty and or students to sign these types of clauses. Of the nearly 900 religiously affiliated institutions of higher education in the United States, there are 214 that actively discriminate against LGBTQ+ persons. These schools do NOT have Title IX exemptions, and yet they require students and/or faculty to sign statements of belief or conduct agreements that ban or silence LGBTQ+ persons. Students at these schools receive over seven billion dollars a year in federal financial aid.

The Shi*t List: America’s Seven Billion Dollar Problem is approximately 350 pages long. The book contains an introduction and seventeen following chapters. Chapter one is a historical overview of Higher Education in the United States and the role that religious groups have played in that history. After chapter one, this book is primarily organized by religious affiliation. Chapters 2-16 teach each religious affinity group and divides it further by denomination or religious order. Within each denomination or order there is a brief overview of the denomination including membership statistics, notes on any official policies regarding marriage, gender, sexuality, or LGBTQ+ persons, the contribution of the group to Higher Education, a list of schools that self-identify as part of the group, and notes on schools that have morality clauses but no Title IX exemptions. Included in these sections are also data on the schools including the number of Full Time Equivalent (FTE) students, the percentages of male and white students, and the number of school leaders (Presidents, Rectors, Chancellors, etc) who are white and male. Each chapter ends with a brief conclusion and summary placing the denominational data within the data as a whole. The final chapter offers a conclusion and observation based on all of the data collected.

After introductory and historical concerns are addressed, the chapters then identify tradition groups and evaluate the schools within that group. The tradition groups are: Baptist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Other Reformed Traditions, Historic Peace Traditions, Methodists, Episcopals, Evangelicals, Latter Day Saints, Seventh Day Adventists, Roman Catholics, Orthodox Traditions, Judaism, and others.

Campus Pride keeps a “Shame List” of the Worst campuses for LGBTQ youth. Their Criteria is that the campus must have a Title IX exemption and/or a history of anti-LGBTQ actions, programs, or practices.¹ There are 151 schools on that list. However, their list does not include all of the schools that have antiLGBTQ policies. In fact, only twenty-three of the schools on their list also appear on this one. Including those twenty-three schools, there are 214 schools that are worse than shameful- they are unsafe. The 214 schools on this Sh*t list are not safe for students who are LGBTQ+. They are not truly safe for women of any sexual orientation. Most of them are not safe for students of color. Unless a student is white, cisgender, and Evangelical, Reform, or Orthodox in beliefs, these schools are not safe. The conclusion argues why these schools are not safe and then analyzes the data as a whole.

Some interesting findings include:

• Over seven billion dollars a year in federal financial aid is paid out to schools who use Title IV funds and do not have a Title IX exemption, but DO have discriminatory clauses.
• Accreditors do not have requirements regarding non-discrimination.
• The NCAA’s “Champions of Respect” program is not being widely used, and 57 NCAA schools have morality clauses and no Title IX exemption, including Division 1 schools.
• There is a greater percentage of Sh*t list schools in states that “went Red” in the election of 2016, and this correlates with the number of total religious schools in those same states.² 
• Only ninety-eight of the schools on the Sh*T list have specific equal employment statements available on their websites 
• For religious institutions of higher education, leadership is 91% male and 80% white. 

A detailed outline of the chapters, including the introductory paragraph from each follows:

The modern “morality clause” is one of the last remaining vestiges of the colonial period in American college and university history. The notion of creedal compliance was once necessary in the extremely denominationally competitive rush to establish colleges and universities along the US frontier. The phrases "creedal compliance" and "creedal conformity" reflect the first ways that Universities tried to ensure that students, faculty, and staff all conformed to the same belief systems at a various institution. These types of rules eventually became the "morality clauses" that are discussed in this work. These terms, as well as “doctrinal statement,” “code of conduct” and “statement of faith” will be used interchangeably throughout this book.

The Chapter continues with:

• Definition 
• Framework 
• Title IV, Title VI, Title VII and Title IX 
• Title IV and title VI
• Title VI 
• Title IX 
• CCCU

The number and diversity of colleges and universities in the US is a direct reflection of the complicated history of religious involvement in colleges and universities since the beginning of higher education in this country. The history of higher education in the US begins with Harvard in 1636, which was founded by the Puritans and modeled on Emmanuel College at Cambridge University.³ Soon thereafter, nine more colleges followed and each were “strongly religious in tone and curriculum, although not all were sponsored by individual denominations.”⁴ These institutions, William and Mary, Yale, Pennsylvania, Washington and Lee, Colombia, Brown, Rutgers and Dartmouth provided a traditional European curriculum which reflected the protestant worldview of their founding and a need to demonstrate the truth of Christianity.⁵ 

The Chapter continues with:

• Second Great Awakening and Westward Expansion 
• After the Civil War 
• 20th Century 
• The 21st Century 
• The Nashville Statement 
• E90 HBCU’s

Baptist traditions have been a part of the higher education landscape since 1764, when the College of Rhode Island (now Brown University) opened.⁶ Baptists, whose origins are traced to 17th century separatists who immigrated to the Netherlands to escape Anglican persecution, “wanted schools which would communicate Christian and Baptist beliefs, values and identity to succeeding generations.”⁷ In the US, the history of Baptists can be traced to 1631 and Roger Williams who organized the first Baptist church in America. The group grew during the First Great Awakening, but then began to split into smaller groups based on the issue of conversion.⁸

The Chapter continues with:

• American Baptist 
• North American Baptist 
• Free Will Baptist 
• General Baptist 
• Southern Baptist 
• Other Baptists 
• Conclusion

The history of Presbyterian commitment to higher education can be traced back to John Calvin and early Calvinists. Calvin was passionate about education and was pivotal in the creation of twelve colelges and universities in Europe through his branch of the Reformation.⁹ Reformed traditions “built five of the nine colleges founded in North America before the American revolution and almost a third of the colleges founded in the United States prior to the Civil War.”¹⁰ 

The Chapter continues with:

• Presbyterian Church in America 
• Reformed Presbyterian 
• Presbyterian 
• Cumberland Presbyterian 
• PCUSA 
• Conclusion

The Lutheran tradition traces its roots back to Martin Luther’s avocation for universal education for children and his work to reform the curricula of the universities. Peter Melanchthon worked to reorganize and establish universities in Germany. These two men are considered the fathers of Lutheranism, so the Lutheran commitment to education is as old as the church itself.¹¹ The Lutheran church was founded as a result of Martin Luther’s protest of the Roman Catholic Church and still “retains much of the tradition of the ancient and medieval church, including a sense of participation in the historic people of God and in the traditional liturgy.”¹² Lutheranism came to the united states in the early 1600’s, and the first Lutheran worship in the US was held at Christmas in Hudson Bay in 1619.¹³ 

Since these early beginnings in Europe and then the US, “higher education in a Christian context has been a Lutheran priority.”¹⁴ Despite political and social issue divides, there remains a certain unity among all Lutherans. Their belief structure is built on Luther’s principle of justification, and they believe the Bible provides rules and standards for the practice of faith.¹⁵ Thy follow the Apostles, Nicene, and Athanasian creeds as well as the Augsburg confession.¹⁶ 

The Chapter continues with:

• ELCA and Lutheran Church in America 
• LCMS 
• WELS 
• Conclusion

The other reformed traditions are so grouped because of their connection to the Dutch reform movement and because of their interrelatedness. For example, the United Church of Christ and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) have been in cooperation with each other in an ecumenical partnership since 1989.¹⁷ The Unitarians and the UCC both come from a Congregationalist background, and the Churches of Christ share the same Stone-Campbell heritage as the Christian Churches and Churches of Christ. Because of these overlapping histories and relationships, these traditions are all discussed in this one chapter.

The chapter continues with:

• Stone Campbell Traditions: Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Christian Churches and Churches of Christ, Churches of Christ 
• Congregational Traditions: UCC, Unitarian Universalists 
• Reformed Traditions: Reformed Church in America, Christian Reformed 
• Conclusion

In 2013, the Moravians and the other “historic peace churches” joined together at the World Council of Churches to be represented as a “confessional family.”¹⁸ These groups all have some commonalities, chief among them, a desire for peace in the world. While the groups do have differences in biblical interpretation, social issues, and other philosophies, they have “a long term commitment to nonviolence and a testimony against war.”¹⁹ Although Quakers and Moravians beliefs are different than Anabaptist traditions, all of these groups do have a central emphasis on peace. Because of this central emphasis, these groups will all be investigated together.

The chapter continues with:

• Quakers 
• Brethren 
• Mennonite 
• Mennonite Brethren 
• Church of the Brethren 
• United Brethren 
• Moravian 
• Conclusion

American Methodism is responsible for a large number of early church-related colleges, It is estimated that that they founded around 400 schools in the time between 1920-1850.²⁰ In fact, “Methodists have founded and sponsored more colleges than any other Protestant denomination.”²¹ Methodist denominations trace their beginnings to John Wesley in England and Francis Asbury and Thomas Coke in the United States.²² There have been multiple divisions within Methodism, most were regarding issues of slavery and segregation. Methodism was primarily a rural denomination, with horseback-riding preachers called circuit riders who travelled over the frontier to preach.²³ The various strains of Methodism are united by a World Methodist Council that encourages “Methodist unity in witness.”²⁴ 

The chapter continues with:

• United Methodist Church
• Free Methodists
• Wesleyan
• African Methodist Episcopal 
• Christian Methodist Episcopal 
• AME Zion 
• Conclusion

Episcopal denominations have a very small footprint in regards to religious institutions of higher education, especially when one considers the impact the Episcopal church has had upon American history.²⁵ Perhaps this is because the Anglican church from which the Episcopal denominations developed has its beginnings in England. Anglicanism is the larger umbrella under which Episcopalians fall. It is a “Communion” rather than a denomination. The Anglican Communion originates from the Church of England and the consecration of bishops outside of England allowed for the spread to the United States whereupon the Episcopal Church in the United states was eventually founded.²⁶ Prior to this founding, the “Society for the propagation of the Gospel” was responsible for growing the American clergy and pushing westward with the Anglican tradition.²⁷ Part of this push was the founding of the College of William and Mary in Virginia in 1693.²⁸ The American Revolution, however, caused great problems for the Anglican church, and following the American victory, there were no bishops, no organization, and a only few dedicated clergy remained. ²⁹ The church that re-organized out of the ashes would become the Protestant Episcopal Church.³⁰ 

The chapter continues with:

• Protestant Episcopal 
• Episcopal Church Reformed 
• Conclusion

Evangelical is a blanket term encompassing Fundamentalist, Pentecostal, Holiness and Non-Brethren Pietist denominations. Churches in these denominations place high emphasis on the Gospel and “emphasize the importance of scriptural authority and salvation by faith in Christ.” ³¹ While the roots of these groups are often found in Methodism, there is less formality and more focus on conversion and personal sanctity. These groups all have similar roots. Because of their similar belief structures and political stances, it is often difficult to distinguish between these evangelical movements, hence their inclusion together in this chapter.

The chapter continues with:

• Fundamentalist: Evangelical Christian (Holiness), Church of God (Andersonville, IN), Church of God (Holiness), Church of God (General Conference), Church of the Nazarene, Christian and Missionary Alliance, Missionary Church
• Pentecostal: Pentecostal Holiness, Church of God (Cleveland TN), Pietist, Evangelical Congregational Churches, Evangelical Covenant, Evangelical Free
• Conclusion

Among the classifications offered by the IPEDS survey are the groups interdenominational, multidenominational, undenominational, and multiple “other” categories. This confuses the issue somewhat, as the schools who self-select as one of the above might also be affiliated with a denominational group listed elsewhere in this book. Every effort will be made to identify what denominations or groups with which various schools are affiliated or in which traditions they have history. It is also important, however, to define what the terms interdenominational, multidenominational, and undenominational mean, and to understand the difference between them. These will be treated as different “denominations” or sub-groups just as others have been in previous chapters.

The chapter will continue with:

• Interdenominational 
• Multi Denominational 
• Undenominational 
• Other Protestant, Protestant Unspecified 
• Conclusion

There are a few schools who, for whatever reason, do not choose to self-identify with a denomination. Those schools have self-selected as “other protestant” or “protestant unspecified.” As with the previous chapter, if the school’s website reveals an affiliation or denominational connection, it will be noted. But in general, the common thread among these schools is that they are protestant of some kind. For the most part, these schools have evangelical or Pentecostal connections. This chapter will deal with those schools and end with a conclusion.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and the Seventh Day Adventists are presented together in this chapter because while they both have some traditionally Christian beliefs; they are not typical protestant churches. While the Mormon church has additional scriptures, the Adventists have a particular approach to their interpretation of scripture that doesn’t align with other Christian denominations.

The chapter continues with:

• Latter Day Saints 
• Seventh Day Adventist 
• Conclusion

Approximately one fifth of the US population identifies as Catholic, so it is no understatement to say that it is the largest religious body in the United States.³² Although there has been a marked decrease in the number of Catholics in the US, there are still places where their numbers are growing.³³ Politically, Catholics are evenly split between the two major political parties, so it is difficult to categorize them as a group.³⁴ It is more likely that political leanings of Catholics are reflected more by the geographical area, rather than by the religious group itself. Because Catholicism is so different from protestant traditions, this chapter will look different. Schools are arranged by the Catholic Order that founded and/or runs the institution. Those orders with less than 3 schools will all be in the same group, and those with no identifiable connection to an order will be in a group at the end.

The chapter continues with:

• Archdiocesan/Diocesan Benedictine
• De La Salle Christian Brothers
• Dominican
• Franciscan 
• Holy Cross 
• Jesuits 
• Pontifical 
• Sisters of Charity 
• Sisters of Mercy 
• Sisters of Notre Dame De Namur 
• Sisters of St. Joseph 
• Society of Mary 
• Vincentian 
• Other Catholic 
• Conclusion

Although Orthodox churches are considered the third major branch of Christianity, they have not contributed significantly to higher education in the United States. Orthodox, or “Eastern,” Churches do not have the hierarchical structures of Catholicism, but rather each “reflects its own national heritage and ethnic customs in its liturgy.”³⁵ Most Orthodox churches are in communion with one another and have similar (if not the same) theology and creeds. ³⁶ The role of Orthodox churches in the US has primarily been to connect immigrants to their ethnic identity. ³⁷ That connection does not continue into higher education. Only two branches of Orthodoxy have schools of higher education in the US- Greek and Russian, and they each only have one school.

The chapter continues with:

• Greek Orthodox
• Roman Orthodox
• Conclusion

Judaism is one of the oldest religions in the world, and almost all of Western religion is derived from Jewish tradition. And whereas Christianity is, “generally defined in terms of doctrine and beliefs, Judaism as a religion is defined primarily by rituals and ethics.”³⁸ Judaism follows a liturgical calendar that is not connected to the Gregorian calendar, but rather is based on the lunar year. There are three major strains of Judaism: Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform. These denominations only account for 63% of American Jews, others are Reconstructionist or Jewish renewal, and 30% do not identify with any denomination.³⁹

The Chapter Continues with:

• Reconstructionist Judaism 
• Reform Judaism 
• Conservative Judaism 
• Orthodox Judaism 
• Other Jewish Schools 
• Conclusion

For one reason or another, there are Religious Institutions of Higher Education that choose to self-identify as “OTHER” in IPEDS. These schools will be explored in this chapter and every effort will be made to identify a major church body, denomination, or movement for each one. That being said, it will be difficult to draw overall conclusions for schools in this category. The chapter continues with a description of the schools and a conclusion.

Campus Pride keeps a “Shame List” of the Worst campuses for LGBTQ youth. Their Criteria is that the campus must have a Title IX exemption and/or a history of anti-LGBTQ actions, programs, or practices.⁴⁰ There are 151 schools on that list. However, their list does not include all of the schools that have antiLGBTQ policies. In fact, only twenty-three of the schools on their list also appear on this one. Including those twenty-three schools, there are 214 schools that are worse than shameful- they are unsafe. The 214 schools on this Sh*t list are not safe for students who are LGBTQ+. They are not truly safe for women of any sexual orientation. Most of them are not safe for students of color. Unless a student is white, cisgender, and Evangelical, Reform, or Orthodox in beliefs, these schools are not safe.

The conclusion continues with:

• The Risks 
• The Cost 
• Complicit Organizations: Accreditation, Athletic associations 
• School Locations 
• Award Levels 
• The Morality Clauses: Segments of Faith, Codes of Conduct, Scriptural references 
• Equal Employment  
• Leadership 
• Some Final thoughts