In 2005 a group of undergraduate students at Princeton University started a student group called the Anscombe Society. Their mission was two-fold. First, they aimed to provide a much-needed voice on campus that would defend "the goods of marriage, family, and chastity." Second, they aimed to provide social support for those who were committed to these values. The group was started out of recognition of the one-sided conversation that existed at Princeton on these matters of sex, love, and relationships. Those who held more "traditional" commitments were often not taken seriously by their peers and even by some of their professors and university staff. Similar to other college campuses, at Princeton there were unfounded sentiments that students with such commitments were either hypocrites or had "hang-ups" about their sexuality. It was inconceivable to many that one could rationally, confidently, and happily choose a chaste lifestyle and value traditional marriage and the intact, stable family. The Anscombe Society was started to counter such sentiments and to let those who valued marriage, family, and chastity know they were not alone.
The Anscombe Society developed quickly on campus, sponsoring many social activities and over a dozen public lectures in its first three years. The group also forged its way in improving various university programs and services, including a mandatory play for the freshman class on sexual assault. Due to its unique mission and singular presence on campus, the Anscombe Society attracted national attention, appearing in the New York Times, Teen Vogue, and numerous other publications. As word spread of what the Anscombe Society was accomplishing at Princeton, students at other colleges and universities began contacting the Anscombe student leaders, asking how they could start a similar initiative on their own campuses. Apparently, there were many young men and women who experienced the same lack of understanding and support (and even the same hostility) for their sexual commitments as the students at Princeton experienced.
The Love and Fidelity Network was born out the desire to meet the needs of college students around the country who want to challenge and change the discourse on their campuses surrounding matters of marriage, family, sex, and sexuality. Started in 2007 by one of the initial founders of Princeton's Anscombe Society, the Love and Fidelity Network strives to help college student leaders start university groups like the Anscombe Society, providing them with the education, resources, and training they need to effectively articulate their values and commitments to their campus communities.
The Love and Fidelity Network is the principal program of the Collegiate Cultural Foundation, a 501(c)3 corporation dedicated to promoting pro-family and pro-life education and activities on college campuses.
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