Two students in the Brigham Young University system are facing removal from school, not because they violated campus policies, but because their Mormon bishop has revoked — or is threatening to revoke — their ecclesiastical endorsements, a requirement to attend schools owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

It’s a unique, and some say troubling, aspect of LDS higher education, in which Mormon bishops with no professional ties to the universities have the power to issue de facto expulsions at any time, and at their individual discretion, with relatively little recourse for students.

At BYU-Idaho, a student who reported a sexual assault has already been removed from school despite an amnesty policy meant to protect victims. And at BYU in Provo, a transgender student says their bishop has threatened to pull their endorsement if they go forward with a planned surgery to remove their breasts.

On this week’s “Trib Talk” podcast, Tribune reporters Erin Alberty, Courtney Tanner and Benjamin Wood discuss the role that ecclesiastical endorsements play at BYU campuses, and the power of lay religious leaders to level academic punishment for violations of church standards.

“Trib Talk” is produced by Sara Weber, with additional editing by Dan Harrie. Comments and feedback can be sent to tribtalk@sltrib.com, or to @bjaminwood or @tribtalk on Twitter.

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