College kicks Christian club off campus for requiring Christ

[SpeakNow]

"In order for students to be InterVarsity leaders they must sign a statement of faith. But the university said that requirement violated their non-discrimination policy.

Sara Chang, an InterVarsity staff member at the University of Michigan, said they were given the option of submitting a revised constitution.

Instead, Chang and the other students decided to stand firm in their faith."

Basically, the club is violating the non-discrimination policy by requiring that club leadership be Christian. I honestly cannot understand why the club wouldn't just remove that requirement. It's highly unlikely that a non-Christian would even want a leadership position in the club. Instead of taking that logical step they're crying persecution...

http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/to ... ampus.html

[mystweaver]

I suspect they believe the ebil atheists would love to infiltrate their numbers and corrupt their ideology.

Just like they do to school boards themselves. :shifty:

[salsa]

Is the IV club an official university-sponsored club? If so, would it be unusual for a public university to sponsor a religious club?

If the club is independent of the university, then the university seems to be overstepping its bounds to say how a club should be organized and/or what the requirements for the organization and its leaders may be. Signing a statement of faith doesn't seem like a big deal to me - at least no bigger of a deal than pledging loyalty to a sorority or fraternity (and much of that language is Christian in nature).

[sassycupcake]

At my public university, there were essentially two "tiers" of organizations. Organizations that were service or diversity-based (like the Black Student Union or the Latino student group) received money from the university to operate. Others, like clubs for hobbies, majors, politics, or religions, were official organizations but received no money. These groups had a faculty advisor, could use campus resources like classrooms or table space, were invited to activity fairs, could advertise on bulletin boards, and were listed in the directory of campus groups.

I would assume that this religious group was a "registered student organization" of that sort. The university has the right to demand non-discrimination from groups that use their name, classroom space, and faculty advisors, even if they don't give the group money.

(edited for a tiny riffle)

[BlondeAgent007]

When I went to University, religious clubs were sponsored by the school. I was part of Hillel and I am not Jewish. In order for the club to be school sponsored, it was required that anybody who wanted to could participate. I was never interested in being a board member, but most of my friends were Jewish so I joined to hang out with them. I also loved going to hookah in the sookah (sp?) nights. Nobody cared that I wasn't Jewish. They were happy to share their culture with me.

[Guest Anonymous]

IVF is the evangelical organisation that runs Christian Unions across universities and colleges in the USA. Their sister organisation in the UK is UCCF. There was a hoo haa over here before Christmas about a branch refusing to have women speakers at their meetings at Bristol University. In the UK, they have worked with the Equality Challenge Unit (a universities equality body) to get a workaround on the statement of faith, but they skate close to the edge on a number of equalities issues, more generally. The leaders tend to be members of evangelical churches and take their conservative views into the colleges with them.

[GeoBQn]

When I went to University, religious clubs were sponsored by the school. I was part of Hillel and I am not Jewish. In order for the club to be school sponsored, it was required that anybody who wanted to could participate. I was never interested in being a board member, but most of my friends were Jewish so I joined to hang out with them. I also loved going to hookah in the sookah (sp?) nights. Nobody cared that I wasn't Jewish. They were happy to share their culture with me.

I was directing a play through Hillel during grad school at a state university when major funding issues came up. The play was funded by the Jewish Cultural organization, which was both a Hillel organization and a separate University organization. The mission of the organization was to provide Jewish-themed cultural programming on campus that anybody could participate in or attend. My cast included Jews, Catholics, Protestants, atheists, and one Muslim woman.

Any organization could apply for funding from the University's "segregated fees" that students had to pay with their tuition. The Roman Catholic Forum applied for funding and was denied, because the main mission of their organization was to proselytize. The group then appealed the decision, saying that the fees were already being used to fund organizations that other students "wouldn't necessarily agree with" and citing my organization as an example. Again, the purpose of my organization was to provide cultural programming, not to proselytize or exclude people. (The group also singled out an environmental policy club.) The next time the University had to approve funding, the Roman Catholic Forum got their funding, and our funding was denied. My group dissolved quickly.

[libmomj]

I suspect they believe the ebil atheists would love to infiltrate their numbers and corrupt their ideology.

Just like they do to school boards themselves. :shifty:

One of the commenters on that site is totally hung up on this. According to the article, this is one of ten InterVarsity chapters at U of M. If the membership felt that the Asian InterVarsity group was indeed being infiltrated and brought down by atheists, they could easily disband and attend other groups or start a new chapter under a slightly different name. The InterVarsity head office doesn't seem too stingy with charters.

[Anise]

I strongly dislike InterVarsity. In my first year at college, I hung around that group, but it was so controlled. My younger brother was more involved than I, and I heard worse stories from him. Apparently, they have training camps for the leaders, and one friend of my brother who had been interested in Judiasm and other ways of looking at the Bible, completely changed. Now all he posts on Facebook is info on IV meetings and Bible verses. Also, IV's way of having special groups by race (and ignoring Asians and Native Americans while doing so- on my campus at least) always seemed really off to me.

I think it's really about having control over college kids so they don't start questioning and become godless liberals. :roll:

[lilwriter85]

There were several Christian organizations/club at my college including InterVarsity. I didn't know anyone on InterVarsity though.

[scarygirl]

So I guess a non athlete would be allowed to run as the leader of an athletic based club, or a Christian would be allowed to head up the society of Wiccan appreciation? Don't know if there is such a club, but it is extremely ridiculous to kick a Christian group off campus for wanting leadership that extols said values.

[thekate]

So I guess a non athlete would be allowed to run as the leader of an athletic based club, or a Christian would be allowed to head up the society of Wiccan appreciation? Don't know if there is such a club, but it is extremely ridiculous to kick a Christian group off campus for wanting leadership that extols said values.

You're back!

What's good for the goose is good for the gander. And it's not ridiculous if the school has a nondiscrimination policy that the group refuses to abide by.

[Miggy]

So I guess a non athlete would be allowed to run as the leader of an athletic based club, or a Christian would be allowed to head up the society of Wiccan appreciation? Don't know if there is such a club, but it is extremely ridiculous to kick a Christian group off campus for wanting leadership that extols said values.

I reacted the same way. Am I allowed to run as leadership for the Black Students Union with my pale skin and blue eyes? My husband, who works at a uni, has just asked if he can be president of the Rugby club? He absolutely hates rugby players and thinks if he was head of the club, he might be able to limit when and where they play. He would definately like to stop the uni from giving them any money.

Any religious group should be allowed to limit their leadership to people from that religion. Personally, I would take my group off campus rather than back down. I wouldn't call it "persecution" as the rule applies to all groups but I would certainly fight it. (In fighting this, my first step would be to gather all religious groups; Jewish, Islamic, Hindu, etc. and make sure we fought it together.)

[scarygirl]

You're back!

What's good for the goose is good for the gander. And it's not ridiculous if the school has a nondiscrimination policy that the group refuses to abide by.

You and I both know it wouldn't work that way. A non athlete heading up say, the NBA is just ridiculous. Same with the leader of a Christian organization who doesn't recognize Christ..

It is a CHRIST-IAN group, with the emphasis on a belief in Christ. I could care less if the school had a Jewish, Muslim, or Atheist group for that matter. Let them all exist. Otherwise, please refund my mandatory Student Activity fees for not allowing equal access to student activities that reflect my interests.

[SpeakNow]

You and I both know it wouldn't work that way. A non athlete heading up say, the NBA is just ridiculous. Same with the leader of a Christian organization who doesn't recognize Christ..

It is a CHRIST-IAN group, with the emphasis on a belief in Christ. I could care less if the school had a Jewish, Muslim, or Atheist group for that matter. Let them all exist. Otherwise, please refund my mandatory Student Activity fees for not allowing equal access to student activities that reflect my interests.

And since its a Christian group, the odds of its members electing a non-Christian leader are slim to none. Changing the bylaw won't have any effect on the club

[lemon]

We had a Christian athletes club in high school that got school funding, yet other organizations that actually allowed everyone in had to fight for funding.

This group has every right to exist, if they follow the College's policies. If they refuse to do so, oh well, sorry.