Rutgers University: Refusal to Allow Christian Clubs to Require Christian Leadership
The InterVarsity Multi-Ethnic Christian Fellowship at Rutgers University was banned from campus because of its rule that "leaders must seek to adhere to biblical standards and belief in all areas of their lives." Rutgers ruled that allowing a religious student group to select its leadership on the basis of religion constituted discrimination. FIRE wrote to the president of Rutgers, to the members of the Board of Trustees and Board of Governors, and to the university's major donors, urging the administration to undo the damage to the Fellowship. FIRE Legal Network attorney David A. French also filed a lawsuit against Rutgers for violating the First Amendment rights of the Fellowship students. Soon after, Rutgers and the Fellowship released a joint statement announcing that they "have amicably resolved any and all issues regarding the status and governance of the fellowship."
Case Materials
"Victory for Freedom of Conscience," FIRE Press Release, April 2, 2003: In September 2002, Rutgers University denied the InterVarsity Multi-Ethnic Christian Fellowship, a student group, the right to take into account religious beliefs when selecting its leaders. A lawsuit, sponsored by the Alliance Defense Fund, was filed against Rutgers by FIRE Legal Network attorney David A. French on December 30, 2002. Rutgers has now settled with the group, and the students will be allowed to organize on Rutgers’ campus in a manner consistent with the purposes of their freedom to associate on the basis of their shared beliefs.
"InterVarsity Multi-Ethnic Christian Fellowship Banned at Rutgers University; InterVarsity Christian Fellowship Threatened with Similar Punishment at UNC," FIRE Press Release, December 30, 2002: Rutgers University and UNC-Chapel Hill have both denied Christian student groups the right to take into account religious beliefs when selecting religious leaders. A lawsuit was filed against Rutgers today by FIRE Legal Network attorney David A. French. The most fundamental constitutional and moral rights—freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of association, and due process—are all at stake at these state institutions.
"Campus Left to Christians, Conservatives: Shut Up!," Mark Tapscott, Townhall.com, December 24, 2005: Take California State University at San Bernadino, for example, where administrators refuse to charter the Christian Students Association because the group thinks its members should be professing Christians. Imagine that!
"Conformity on campus," Marvin Olasky, World Magazine, December 18, 2004: Raucous students and ideologically identical professors set the tone at America's colleges and universities, but some student movements provide hope for change.
"Survey: many college students fuzzy on first amendment rights," Associated Press, Black Issues in Higher Education, January 1, 2004: PHILADELPHIA -- One out of four college students in a nationwide survey was unable to name any of the freedoms protected by the First Amendment, according to a free-speech watchdog group.
