University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Denial of Freedom of Association for Christian Fraternity

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University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

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FIRE Victory closed

At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill a Christian fraternity, Alpha Iota Omega (AIO), was stripped of its recognition after UNC administrator Jonathan Curtis declared that the fraternity was required to add an unconstitutional "nondiscrimination" clause to its student group constitution. AIO objected to the "nondiscrimination" clause because it would have forbidden the group from considering religion when determining "membership and participation" in the group. FIRE wrote to the university on AIO's behalf outlining the group's rights to freedom of association and religious liberty but the university was unmoved. FIRE teamed up with the Alliance Defense Fund and filed suit, and eventually AIO was granted the right not to enact the nondiscrimination clause.

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