Bill Would Force Soka to Change Its Name
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Soka University in Calabasas could be forced to change its name under legislation approved Tuesday by the state Assembly Committee on Higher Education.
Under the bill, a business would be barred from using the terms college or university unless it is a public institution of higher learning; a school accredited by the state or the Western Assn. of Schools and Colleges; or a nonprofit religious institution whose course of instruction is limited to religious principles.
Introduced by Assemblyman Tom Hayden (D-Santa Monica), the measure was approved 10 to 0 and sent to the Ways and Means Committee. A Hayden aide acknowledged that the bill is aimed at Soka, which has plans for expansion that the lawmaker vigorously opposes.
The Japan-based Soka University currently uses its 500-acre campus in the Santa Monica Mountains to offer English classes to about 150 Japanese students. Soka, which is not accredited, plans to build a 4,400-student campus in the mountains.
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