Kalamazoo Tries to End Baptist Board Rule

Kalamazoo College, founded in 1833 as a Baptist institution, long ago dropped its religious affiliation. But The Detroit News reported that one Baptist requirement remains and that state legislation is needed to change that. The college's charter requires that 15 percent of trustees be Baptists "in good standing." Because the charter was approved by the Michigan Legislature, Kalamazoo must -- even as a private college -- obtain legislative approval for the change, and is now starting the process to do so. A spokesman for the college said that it has, to date, tried to keep the 15 percent requirement, but that it may not have always succeeded.