School Spotlight
Pace University
Speech Code Rating
- At present, FIRE does not maintain information on this school's policies.
Pace University: Christian Student Organization Denied Recognition
April 6, 2007
After months of pressure from FIRE, Pace Law School approved the constitution of the Christian Law Students Association (CLSA), allowing the group to pursue its religious mission. CLSA leader Cari Rincker tried to form a chapter of the national Christian Legal Society (CLS), calling her group the Pace Christian Legal Society (PCLS). In accordance with… Read more
Victory for Freedom of Association at Pace Law School
August 8, 2007
FIRE’s press release today announces that Pace Law School has given final approval to the constitution of the Christian Law Students Association (CLSA). The Christian student organization had been fighting an uphill battle all year: it was first denied recognition by the Student Bar Association because of its explicitly Christian mission, and then was only… Read more
Victory for Freedom of Association at Pace Law School
August 8, 2007
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., August 8, 2007—After months of public pressure from the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), Pace Law School has finally approved the constitution of the Christian Law Students Association (CLSA), allowing the group to pursue its religious mission. The CLSA’s status had been uncertain since January, when Pace objected to the… Read more
Media Coverage of Koran Dunking Incident
August 1, 2007
The case of former Pace University student Stanislav Shmulevich, who was arrested for twice shoving a copy of the Koran down a campus toilet last year, has garnered considerable media coverage. David French, member of FIRE’s Legal Network and senior counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, has an excellent discussion on Phi Beta Cons of… Read more
Update on Pace University Koran Incident
July 30, 2007
More information is now coming out regarding the case at Pace University where a former student destroyed a Koran by throwing it in a toilet. According to a recent news article, the former student, who is now out on bail, was caught because the police had surveillance footage of him leaving a meditation room where… Read more
Student Arrested for Hate Crimes after Allegedly Flushing Koran
July 30, 2007
Troubling news over the weekend: a former student at Pace University in New York has been arrested for hate crimes for allegedly placing a Koran in a toilet on two occasions. While treating the Koran in this way could obviously anger the Muslim community, the arrest seems to be completely at odds with well-established Supreme… Read more
Spring 2007 ‘FIRE Quarterly’ Now Available
May 24, 2007
Check out our latest, newly re-designed issue of The FIRE Quarterly, which contains news updates on FIRE events and victories in cases at universities across the country. Some highlights from this edition include a look at our victory at San Francisco State University (SFSU), where FIRE stepped in to defend SFSU’s College Republicans after the… Read more
Why Private Schools Need to Follow Their Own Rules
April 18, 2007
While Robert’s latest blog discusses the difference between public schools and private schools in relation to sectarian institutions, I’d like to discuss the dichotomy in more depth, especially in regard to the schools which Jon B. Gould mentions in his piece (subscribers only) in the Chronicle—Brown, Johns Hopkins, and Pace. FIRE’s Guide to Free… Read more
Pace Not a Bastion of Free Expression for Christian Group
April 6, 2007
On Monday, the New York Post published an article contrasting two university presidents’ attitudes toward free speech—Lee Bollinger of Columbia and David Caputo of Pace University. Bollinger, as Torch readers doubtless know, despite being a constitutional lawyer by trade, has repeatedly ignored the free speech rights of his students, only belatedly standing up for… Read more
What’s Taking So Long at Pace?
March 22, 2007
It’s been more than three weeks since FIRE announced that Pace Law School finally recognized the Christian Law Students Association (CLSA). The Student Bar Association (SBA) had denied recognition to the group on the grounds that the blatantly Christian nature of the organization would be unwelcoming to non-Christians. Pace’s decision to reverse the SBA came… Read more
Christian Group Still Waiting for Word from Pace
March 12, 2007
Two weeks ago we reported that Pace Law School finally recognized the Christian Law Students Association (CLSA). The Student Bar Association (SBA) at Pace initially denied the CLSA recognition, deciding that the Christian nature of the group would be unwelcoming to non-Christian students. After FIRE convinced Law School Dean Stephen Friedman to step in to… Read more
‘The New York Times’ Looks at Middle East Controversies on Campus
February 26, 2007
Karen Arenson has an article in The New York Times this morning about the film “Obsession: Radical Islam’s War Against the West,” which she calls “the latest flashpoint in the bitter campus debate over the Middle East.” The film shows anti-Western clips from Arab television programming and documentary footage of suicide bombers, at times… Read more
Pace Recognizes Christian Group
February 26, 2007
Pace Law School has decided to recognize the Christian Law Students’ Association (CLSA), a student organization that was denied recognition last fall. As FIRE reported in January, the Student Bar Association (SBA) denied recognition to the group because it felt that the group’s Christian nature, as expressed in its constitution, would be unwelcoming to non-Christians…. Read more
Pace Student Group Still in Jeopardy: Administration Finds CLSA’s Constitution Contentious
February 12, 2007
FIRE last reported that the situation looked hopeful for the Christian Law Students’ Association (CLSA) at Pace Law School. The CLSA was denied recognition by the Student Bar Association (SBA), which thought that the CLSA constitution’s stated tenets of faith would make non-Christians or atheists feel unwelcome in the group, despite the CLSA’s explicit non-discrimination… Read more
Pace Law School Dean Intervenes in Christian Organization Case
January 30, 2007
Hours after FIRE issued its press release yesterday announcing that the Student Bar Association (SBA) at Pace Law School denied recognition to the Christian Law Students’ Association (CLSA), Law School Dean Stephen Friedman announced that he disagreed with the SBA’s decision. In his memo, Friedman summarized the SBA’s position: Based on my discussions with Dean… Read more
DEVELOPING STORY AT PACE LAW SCHOOL: Christian Student Organization Denied Recognition, Dean Weighs In
January 29, 2007
Our press release today details the trials and tribulations of a Christian student organization at Pace Law School that was denied recognition by the Student Bar Association (SBA). Just this afternoon, Pace Law School Dean Stephen Friedman sent the group a memo saying he disagreed with the SBA’s decision, and that if the group’s constitution… Read more
Pace Law School Denies Recognition to Religious Student Organization
January 29, 2007
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., January 29, 2007—The Student Bar Association (SBA) at Pace Law School has denied official recognition to a Christian student organization, claiming that the group’s religious identity would not be welcoming to non-Christian students. The group’s leadership contacted the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) for help soon after the SBA delivered… Read more