Armed with a recent federal appeals court ruling, Christian student groups are challenging University of Wisconsin campuses' decisions to refuse to recognize them over their allegedly discriminatory membership requirements.
At UW-Madison, the Knights of Columbus has been stripped of its longtime school recognition because only men who are Catholic can become members, adviser Mark Etzel said Tuesday. The move means the Catholic service organization cannot recruit members on campus or meet in university buildings, he said.
At UW-Superior, the student body has refused to recognize the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship because its leaders have to sign a statement that they have Christian beliefs, the group's adviser said.
In both cases, university officials cited a policy that prohibits recognized groups from discriminating on the basis of religion and sexual orientation.
"The UW System, by imposing this nondiscrimination policy on student groups, is essentially banning Christian groups from meeting on campus," said David Hacker, a lawyer with the Alliance Defense Fund's Center for Academic Freedom, a Christian legal group.
His group sent a letter to university officials this week demanding the policies be changed and threatening lawsuits if they are not. The letter from director David French warned that UW campuses were violating students' rights to free speech and association by refusing to recognize the organizations.
French cited a 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago ruling last month forcing Southern Illinois University to recognize the Christian Legal Society despite its requirement that members pledge to adhere to Christian beliefs. Wisconsin is in that circuit and UW campuses must abide by the ruling, he argued. [snip] Duluth NewsTribune
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