One of America’s largest Christian student organisations has been banned from operating as a recognised student body in California State Universities because it wants its leaders to be Christian.
Intervarsity Christian Fellowship has chapters in over 600 American universities, but were “derecognised” by the California State University system (CSU) after a new anti-discrimination policy required that organisations allow people of all faiths and none to stand for leadership positions. Intervarsity said that while anyone was welcome anyone to participate in their activities, including nonbelievers, seekers and adherents of other faiths, the status of their organisation as a Christian ministry required their leaders to profess the Christian faith.
Intervarsity also said that it was already supporting diversity and inclusivity. The organisation estimates that approximately 50 per cent of the students active in its chapters are members of ethnic minority groups. They say that number is around 70 per cent in California.
Greg Jao, National Field Director & Campus Access Coordinator of InterVarsity, said that this meant their group no longer has equal access to the university community. He explained,
“Loss of recognition means we lose three things: free access to rooms (this will cost our chapters $13k-30k/year to reserve rooms). We also lose access to student activities programs, including the new student fairs where we meet most students. We also lose standing when we engage faculty, students and administrators.”
In addition, Jao said that while Intervarsity could request to hold a meeting in a room on campus, groups with official recognition would always be given priority – and Intervarsity would no longer be able to use the name of the university in which they operate in any promotional materials.
The move by the CSU follows similar “derecognisations” of Christian groups in Maine’s Bowdoin College, Tennessee’s Vanderbilt University, and the University of New York.
Tish Warren, an Intervarsity leader at Vanderbilt, wrote in Christianity Today that she and her group were considered “the wrong kind of Christians”.
“What began as a concern about sexuality and pluralism quickly became a conversation about whether robustly religious communities would be allowed on campus. In effect, the new policy privileged certain belief groups and forbade all others. Religious organisations were welcome as long as they were malleable: as long as their leaders didn’t need to profess anything in particular; as long as they could be governed by sheer democracy and adjust to popular mores or trends; as long as they didn’t prioritise theological stability,” she wrote.
But some universities like Ohio State University, the University of Texas and the University of Minnesota have allowed religious groups to have leaders of their own faith.
The Deseret News reports that the Ohio State University’s policy now states, “A student organisation formed to foster or affirm the sincerely held religious beliefs of its members may adopt eligibility criteria for its Student Officers that are consistent with those beliefs.”
An editorial in that paper praised Ohio State’s move, saying:
“Hateful language, intolerance or bigotry is never acceptable, and in all differences of opinion, respect and deference should be applied. However, qualification requirements for student group leaders should be allowed. Similar to a campus a cappella group that might demand its leaders as well as members be able to sing, a Christian group should be able to demand that its leaders are actually Christian.”
