Campus Access

Department of Education Rescinds Regulations Protecting Religious Groups on Campus

ashlye.vanderworp@intervarsity.org — Tue, 14 Mar 2023 19:35:39 +0000

March 14, 2023

Department of Education Rescinds Regulations Protecting Religious Groups on Campus

Washington, D.C.–– The U.S. Department of Education has announced that it plans to rescind regulations which protect religious organizations on public college and university campuses.

“We’re calling on people of every faith background to submit comments in opposition to the Department’s decision," said Greg Jao, ��Ƶ’s Chief Communications Officer. “In recent years universities have derecognized Christian, Sikh, Jewish, and Muslim student groups because the groups require their leaders to belong to their respective faith traditions. This should be common sense on campus.” The comment period ends March 24, 2023. The existing regulations in question (34 CFR §§ 75.500 and §§ 76.500) prohibited universities from discriminating against religious student groups and required campuses to permit groups to select student leaders who agreed with the groups’ beliefs.

“We must have leaders who share our faith,” Jao said in 2019 when a federal judge ruled that the University of Iowa violated the law when they kicked ��Ƶ and other religious groups off campus. “No group—religious or secular—could survive with leaders who reject its values.”

Student groups with official university recognition enjoy access to campus meeting space and to a variety of channels of communication with other students. Religious organizations from diverse faith traditions agree they want to maintain their right to choose leaders who practice their religious mission and tenets.

When the regulation in question came into effect in 2020, Ismail Royer, Director of the Islam and Religious Freedom Action Team for the Religious Freedom Institute said it was an important policy for Muslim student organizations. “It allows them to select their own leaders and define their own mission by their faith's principles. This right should be reserved for all student religious organizations, and not usurped by university officials based on their own shifting, unpredictable standards.”

Rabbi Abba Cohen, Agudath Israel of America’s Vice President for Government Affairs similarly noted, “Religious groups should be encouraged on campus. It simply defies logic, and undermines their very effectiveness, when religious groups are forced to forfeit leadership policies that better insure adherence to their religious mission, beliefs and practices.”

“After several years of isolation and increased anxiety during the pandemic, students long to be part of a community where they can be known and cared for. ��Ƶ welcomes them into ethnically diverse faith communities,” said ��Ƶ’s Chief Campus Ministry Officer, Jason Thomas. ”However, if this proposed change is adopted, tens of thousands of students risk losing access to support that is vital to their holistic welfare and flourishing.”

��Ƶ USA is on over 700 campuses nationwide, hosting weekly Bible studies, prayer and worship meetings, and seeks to serve students, faculty, and the local community, while displaying and sharing the real hope of Jesus.

If you’d like to share why you think religious student organizations on campus should be protected, please submit a comment at campusaccess.us by March 23, 2023.

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Campus Access

University of Iowa Campus Ministry Upheld in Federal Court

gordon.govier@intervarsity.org — Tue, 01 Oct 2019 15:13:23 +0000

News

October 1, 2019

University of Iowa Campus Ministry Upheld in Federal Court

(Madison, WI)–An Iowa federal judge has ruled that the University of Iowa and its officers violated the law when they kicked ��Ƶ off campus for asking its leaders to be Christian. A dozen other religious groups—including Sikhs, Muslims, and Latter-day Saints—were also kicked off campus for requiring their leaders to share their faith. But all secular groups and a few religious groups favored by the University got a pass.

In a ruling on September 27, 2019, the court held that this discrimination was so egregious that the officers involved would be personally accountable for any money ��Ƶ lost fighting to stay on campus. The court left open the possibility that the University’s president, Bruce Harreld, could also be found liable.

��Ƶ has been at the University of Iowa for over 25 years. It welcomes all students as members, and only requires the students who lead its ministry affirm its faith. In the past, the University has honored ��Ƶ for its contributions to campus life. But in June 2018, the University claimed that, by requiring leaders to affirm their faith, ��Ƶ was violating the University’s nondiscrimination policy.

The University then limited ��Ƶ’s access to campus, froze its bank account, shut down its website, and advertised that it was “defunct” for lack of student interest. As a result, ��Ƶ suffered its sharpest membership decline in over twenty years. The federal court’s ruling confirmed that the University’s actions violated the Constitution and ordered the University to respect ��Ƶ’s right to select religious leaders going forward.

“We must have leaders who share our faith,” said Greg Jao, ��Ƶ’s Director of External Relations. “No group—religious or secular—could survive with leaders who reject its values. We’re grateful the court has stopped the University’s religious discrimination, and we look forward to continuing our ministry on campus for years to come.”

��Ƶ USA is on 772 campuses nationwide. Its University of Iowa chapter hosts weekly Bible studies and monthly meetings for prayer, worship, and religious discussions on current issues.

In upholding the group’s right to be on campus, the court noted that, just last January—in the related case of BLinC v. University of Iowa—it already warned the University against enforcing its policy unevenly. The court stated it “would never have expected the University to respond to that order by homing in on religious groups[]” like ��Ƶ, while “carving out explicit exemptions for other groups. But here we are.” The court did “not know how a reasonable person could have concluded this was acceptable,” since it “plainly” doubled down on the exact same conduct the court had already held unlawful. In a hearing last week, the court described the University’s conduct as “ludicrous” and “incredibly baffling.”

��Ƶ was represented in this case by the Becket law firm. For more information or to arrange an interview with a Becket attorney, contact Ryan Colby at media@becketlaw.org or 202-349-7219.

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Court Allows ��Ƶ’s Case Against Wayne State to go Forward

gordon.govier@intervarsity.org — Fri, 20 Sep 2019 20:18:43 +0000

Press Room

September 20, 2019

Court Allows ��Ƶ’s Case Against Wayne State to go Forward

(Madison) -- ��Ƶ’s religious discrimination case against Wayne State University must be allowed to proceed, a Michigan federal judge has ruled. Becket law firm, which represents ��Ƶ, has the announcement on their website.

��Ƶ filed legal action in order to protect the rights of our chapter to be treated the same as other groups on campus, a constitutionally protected religious freedom.

Classes resumed on August 28 and our chapter is meeting. ��Ƶ was temporarily allowed back on campus after the initiation of litigation and now seeks to make that status permanent. The university continues to argue that it has the flexibility to kick ��Ƶ back off campus at any time. Oral arguments were heard on July 10, 2019, and now, following the judge’s ruling, the next step is a status conference before the judge on October 15.

Wayne State is one of 772 campuses where we currently have chapters, 1,119 chapters in all. Students at Wayne State, like students everywhere these days, are fighting loneliness and alienation. We feel students and faculty on every campus should have a community of believers who share the hope-giving message of the Gospel. That’s why we have embarked on our 2030 Calling, to partner with other ministries, churches, alumni, and volunteers to reach every US campus.

For more information or to arrange an interview with a Becket attorney, contact Ryan Colby at media@becketlaw.org or 202-349-7219.

Detroit News: Judge lets Christian group pursue suit against WSU
Detroit Free Press: Christian group's lawsuit against Wayne State University can move forward

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Wayne State

Campus Access

Freedom of Religion

��Ƶ Defends Religious Freedom at Iowa

gordon.govier@intervarsity.org — Tue, 07 Aug 2018 18:10:11 +0000

Press Room

August 7, 2018

��Ƶ Defends Religious Freedom at Iowa

For Immediate Release: August 7, 2018

Media Contact: Melinda Skea media@becketlaw.org | 202-349-7224

UPDATE: The University of Iowa has agreed to temporarily reinstate ��Ƶ and all other religious groups that the University had recently deregistered. This information is now available online at the Becket Law website.

MADISON, WI–An ��Ƶ student group at the University of Iowa is fighting for the right to ask its leaders to be Christians. In ��Ƶ Christian Fellowship v. University of Iowa, a student group is suing the University after it was kicked off campus for requiring its leaders to agree with its faith. Almost 40 other student groups —including the Sikh Awareness Club, the Chinese Student Christian Fellowship, the Imam Mahdi Organization, and the Latter-day Saint Student Association—were also expelled by the University at the same time. Becket filed the lawsuit on August 6, 2018 on behalf of ��Ƶ, seeking to get the group back on campus in time for the fall semester.

��Ƶ has been a part of campus life for 25 years, welcoming all students as members. But like the over-500 other student groups on campus, it has a distinct mission and asks its leaders to embrace that mission. In June, the University abruptly ordered the group to drop its religious leadership standards within two weeks, stating that leaders could not even be “strongly encouraged” to share its faith. And in late July, after ��Ƶ explained why it couldn’t eliminate its leadership standards, the University officially derecognized the group, along with dozens of other religious and ideological student groups.

“We’re grateful to have been part of the University community for 25 years, and we think that the University has been a richer place for having Sikh, Muslim, Mormon, Catholic, Jewish, atheist, and Christian groups.” said Kristina Schrock, student president of ��Ƶ Graduate Christian Fellowship. "Because we love our school, we hope it reconsiders and lets religious groups continue to authentically reflect their religious roots.”

��Ƶ’s 25 years on campus include hosting Bible studies and worship services, sponsoring discussions on important issues, and participating in community service activities such as the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service and the Johnson County C.R.O.P. Hunger Walk (where it’s been the top fund-raiser in six of the last seven years). The group is made up of a diverse collection of multiethnic and international students, and it welcomes all to join as members. While the University deemed ��Ƶ’s religious leadership requirement “non-compliant” with its non-discrimination policy, it has exempted or ignored leadership and membership restrictions set by other student groups, such as sports clubs, fraternities, and political organizations. The University’s action against ��Ƶ comes after another religious group’s lawsuit challenged the school’s discriminatory application of its policy.

“If public universities really want to foster an intellectually diverse environment, this isn’t how to do it,” said Daniel Blomberg, senior counsel at Becket, which is representing ��Ƶ Christian Fellowship. “Universities should allow students the space to form their own groups that challenge and grow their sincere beliefs. Banning religious groups from having religious leaders just flattens diversity and impoverishes the campus.”

_{Photo: Schaeffer Hall at the University of Iowa, By Vkulikov - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28272266}

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Campus Access

Religious Freedom

Nondiscrimination

��Ƶ Defends Religious Freedom in Wayne State University Case

gordon.govier@intervarsity.org — Wed, 07 Mar 2018 14:55:23 +0000

Press Room

March 7, 2018

��Ƶ Defends Religious Freedom in Wayne State University Case

For Immediate Release

Media Contact: Melinda Skea | media@becketlaw.org | 202-349-7224

UPDATE: ��Ƶ's Wayne State University chapter has been allowed back on campus. More information in this Becket news release.

WASHINGTON, D.C. –��Ƶ is fighting for its right to continue serving at a campus it has been on for over 75 years. In ��Ƶ Christian Fellowship v. Wayne State University, an ��Ƶ Christian Fellowship student group, represented by Becket, sued Michigan-based Wayne State University after school officials stripped them of official recognition just because the group requires its leaders to affirm their faith. Wayne State has over 400 student groups that contribute to its intellectual and cultural diversity, all of which are free to select leaders who embrace their missions—except, suddenly, one Christian student group.

��Ƶ welcomes all students to its meetings and to join as members. It requires only that its leaders believe in and live out its faith. Yet in 2017, Wayne State rejected the group’s constitution, derecognized ��Ƶ, and cancelled all of ��Ƶ’s reserved meetings. After 75 years, Wayne State decided that ��Ƶ’s religious leadership requirements violated school policy. Meanwhile Wayne State actively violates its own policy in many of its programs, and allows dozens of other larger student groups do the same.

“��Ƶ just wants to continue to serve Wayne State students as we have for 75 years,” said Greg Jao, ��Ƶ Director of External Relations. “Students should be able to find a campus community which reflects their faith tradition with authenticity and integrity.”

��Ƶ Christian Fellowship at Wayne State is one of the oldest ��Ƶ chapters in the country, and has held weekly Bible studies, meetings, and organized service opportunities on campus for over 75 years. In 2009 the group sponsored a series of campus events that raised awareness regarding human trafficking. And the group regularly hosts discussions of important issues, like the intersection between faith, race, and social justice.

Now ��Ƶ is given second-class status, forced to rent tables like outside vendors if it wants to host discussions or reach out to new students. It can no longer reserve meeting rooms for free like other student groups.

Additional information, including the Complaint (February 28, 2018), Press Kit and Case page is available here: https://www.becketlaw.org/case/intervarsity

Photo: Del Arte via Wikipedia

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��Ƶ Chapters Return to CSU

gordon.govier@intervarsity.org — Fri, 19 Jun 2015 19:16:40 +0000

Press Room

June 19, 2015

��Ƶ Chapters Return to CSU

_{For Immediate Release}

(Madison, WI) -- ��Ƶ’s 23 chapters on 19 of the California State University (CSU) campuses will once again be recognized student groups, according to CSU and ��Ƶ. ��Ƶ chapters were not recognized at CSU campuses for the 2014-2015 academic year.

“Following substantive and cordial ongoing conversations, CSU clarified the intent and reach of Executive Order 1068,” said ��Ƶ president Jim Lundgren. “We are confident we can choose leaders who are qualified to lead ��Ƶ’s witnessing communities throughout the Cal State system. “

Both CSU and ��Ƶ affirm the importance of all students having the choice to participate in campus organizations.

“��Ƶ’s Christian faith compels us to welcome all people,” Lundgren said. “We support CSU in its commitment to serve the diversity of students on its campuses. In fact, ��Ƶ communities are some of the most diverse groups on Cal State’s campuses. At the same time, we maintain our commitment to provide campus communities that are clearly Christian, where all students can experience and learn more about Christian community, theology, and practice. We’re grateful for this development and are looking forward to continued ministry on CSU campuses.”

While this agreement covers chapters at California State University, the largest public university system in the U.S., ��Ƶ continues to face challenges to student chapters on campuses at other locations in California, New York, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Maine, Iowa, and Florida.

“In a time where much of the public discourse is polarized, ��Ƶ and CSU remained engaged, honest, and respectful throughout the negotiations," Lundgren added. "While we are grateful to have resolved the issue with CSU, ��Ƶ continues to believe that all-comers policies will result in the exclusion, rather than inclusion, of diverse students from campus.”

��Ƶ has a total of 985 chapters on 649 campuses and has been active on U.S. college and university campuses for more than 74 years. ��Ƶ is a charter affiliate of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES), and is a charter member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA).

^{For more information:}
^{Gordon Govier}
^{ggovier@intervarsity.org}
^608/443-3688

News Keywords

Campus Access

California State University

Campus Engagement Vice President Named

gordon.govier@intervarsity.org — Tue, 06 Jan 2015 20:59:18 +0000

Press Room

January 6, 2015

Campus Engagement Vice President Named

News Release

(Madison, WI) -- ��Ƶ has created a new Cabinet-level position aimed at improving our effectiveness in working with campus communities. Greg Jao (last named pronounced HOW) has been named Vice President: Director of Campus Engagement. The appointment is effective February 1, 2015.

For the past several years, Greg has served as ��Ƶ’s lead person on campus access. He will continue in that role. The three primary areas of focus for the new position are (a) campus access, (b) campus engagement, and (c) Executive Office communications.

“I am thrilled by this appointment,” said ��Ƶ president Alec Hill. “Greg has done double duty as a National Field Director and Campus Access Director over the past few years, and it became increasingly apparent that the Fellowship’s needs in the area of campus engagement demanded more of his time.”

��Ƶ’s vision for campus engagement is to proactively build relationships with the academy and to forge stronger partnerships with peer ministries such as The Veritas Forum and the Consortium of Christian Study Centers. In Greg’s recent roles he has interacted with university administrators, equipped chapter leaders and staff across the country to deal with ministry challenges, and developed relationships with news media.

Greg comes to this new position well prepared. For the past 20 years, he has held many leadership positions within ��Ƶ’s campus ministry–National Field Director, Regional Director, Divisional Director, Area Director, and Campus Staff Member. He has also served as Associate General Counsel and Manager of Campus Development for ��Ƶ Press and may be best known as the emcee of the last five Urbana Student Missions Conferences.

Greg holds a B.A. in English from the University of Chicago and a J.D. from Northwestern University Law School. He has authored two books, contributed to four more, and written or been cited in numerous articles. Before joining staff, he was a lawyer for the Chicago firm of Gardner Carton & Douglas.

Greg, his wife Jennifer, and their two daughters will continue to reside in New York City.

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Campus Engagement

Campus Access

When ��Ƶ Was Derecognized at Purdue

gordon.govier@intervarsity.org — Mon, 15 Dec 2014 17:54:07 +0000

News

December 15, 2014

Gordon Govier

When ��Ƶ Was Derecognized at Purdue

Even though many colleges have Christian roots, Jesus Christ is a controversial figure on campus. ��Ƶ’s status as a Christian student organization has occasionally led to derecognition by campus administrators, not just recently, but also in the first decade of the Fellowship.

One the earliest derecognitions occurred in 1950 in West Lafayette, Indiana, when Purdue Varsity Christian Fellowship was notified that the Executive Council of the Faculty had voted them off campus. A letter from then President Frederick Hovde concluded, “I appreciate deeply the understanding attitude which you and the other members of your Fellowship have with respect to my problem in his matter.”

What was the problem? The correspondence indicates that denominational foundations, which provided worship services and other denominational resources in facilities just off campus, were upset with the chapter’s status as an official on-campus student organization. Pressure was being applied to remove the chapter from campus.

Stacey Woods, who was ��Ƶ’s first General Secretary, rushed by train to Purdue for a hastily arranged meeting with President Hovde. Stacey followed up with a hand-written note of encouragement and a detailed typewritten note of instructions to the chapter president, Frank Mathews. But the faculty voted and the chapter was derecognized.

Campus ministry has continued at Purdue and thrives today with an undergrad chapter, a Greek chapter, Nurses Christian Fellowship, and several Grad fellowships. By the grace of God, ��Ƶ was returned to campus rather quickly, although it's unclear exactly how quickly. Don Fields, ��Ƶ’s longest serving staff member in Indiana (his tenure doesn’t quite go back to 1950 though), remembers that it was probably a faculty member who finally convinced the Purdue administration to re-recognize ��Ƶ.

Huge social changes have occurred in the 65 years since Purdue Varsity Christian Fellowship was derecognized. Although there are still factions that attempt to undermine our Christian witness on campus, ��Ƶ is still growing and has chapters on more campuses than at any other time in our history.

News Keywords

Purdue

Campus Access

Re-creating Campus Ministry

gordon.govier@intervarsity.org — Fri, 15 Aug 2014 19:00:07 +0000

Press Room

September 9, 2014

Re-creating Campus Ministry

For Immediate Release

��Ƶ Christian Fellowship Forced to Find New Ways to Operate in California
After University System Ruling Requires Permitting Non-Christians to be Chapter Leaders

(Madison, WI) – The California State University (CSU) system has issued a nondiscrimination policy that requires ��Ƶ to allow non-Christians to be chapter leaders. ��Ƶ has always required chapter leaders to agree to our Doctrinal Basis, a summary of basic, historic Christian beliefs. While ��Ƶ invites and welcomes all students as participants, we believe a Christian group should have the right to expect and even require their leaders to be Christian—just as any student group, club or Greek organization should be able to require their leaders to be like-minded.

��Ƶ Christian Fellowship is now developing a new style of campus ministry on CSU campuses where we have been banned from participating in campus life as a recognized student organization. In order to maintain a ministry presence with 23 chapters on 19 CSU campuses, ��Ƶ is introducing creative new ways to connect with students and share the gospel message—though doing so as an “unrecognized” student group will prove considerably more costly.

Because we are no longer allowed to participate in campus organization fairs, ��Ƶ will make contact with students by deploying new tools such as mobile banner stands, interactive displays, social media, and other techniques that don’t rely on established campus structures.

“Our campus access challenges give this generation of students an opportunity to reinvent campus ministry,” said Greg Jao, ��Ƶ’s National Field Director. “Even as we use new tools and techniques, we remind students that effective ministry is ultimately relational. It’s about students inviting other students to follow Jesus.”

Building on Success

On most of the 616 college campuses across the U.S where ��Ƶ has 949 chapters, our student ministry work will continue as it has for more than seven decades. Overall our annual reports from staff indicate that ��Ƶ is sharing the gospel message with more students and faculty than at any other time in our 73-year history.

During the 2013-2014 school year, 40,299 core students and faculty were actively involved with ��Ƶ across the country, our highest participation rate ever. People professing faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord for the first time numbered 3,517, almost double the same number from 10 years ago. Approximately 50 percent of students active in our chapters are members of ethnic minority groups, in California the number is closer to 70 percent.

Students from every conceivable background still come to college seeking answers to life's larger questions in order to find meaning and significance. And ��Ƶ is committed to sharing with them the message of the gospel, a message that has been revolutionizing lives for 2,000 years.

About ��Ƶ

��Ƶ has been active on U.S. college and university campuses for more than 73 years. ��Ƶ is affiliated with the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES), and is a charter member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA).

For more information:
Gordon Govier
608/443-3688
ggovier@intervarsity.org

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Campus Access

California State University system

A Day of Prayer for Campus Access

gordon.govier@intervarsity.org — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 14:40:14 +0000

News

July 8, 2014

A Day of Prayer for Campus Access

A Day of Prayer was declared on Monday, July 14, 2014, by ��Ƶ President Alec Hill to focus on campus access challenges which limit the freedom of ��Ƶ and other campus ministries to proclaim the gospel. In particular, we are concerned about the status of ��Ƶ chapters on California State University campuses.

In 2012 the outgoing chancellor of the California State University system issued a new policy that requires recognized student groups to accept all students as potential leaders. While we applaud inclusivity, and welcome all students to our chapter activities, we believe that faith-based communities like ours can only be led by people who clearly affirm the historic doctrines of their faith.

The new policy exempts sororities and fraternities from gender discrimination; we believe there should be a similar provision for creedal communities. Earlier this year, ��Ƶ Campus Staff Member Liz Thrasher Wheatley shared at ��Ƶ’s national staff conference her chapter’s experience with derecognization at California State University, Chico. Listen or download her six and a half minute presentation.

Last August the new chancellor, Timothy White, graciously granted religious groups a one-year exemption for the 2013-14 school year. That time period is rapidly coming to a close. For more information on how to pray for this situation, please go to our prayer page: http://intervarsity.org/page/call-prayer-california-state-university-system

The California State University system is the largest four-year public university system in the United States. ��Ƶ has chapters on 19 of the 23 Cal State campuses.

_{(Photo: Kendall Administration Hall at California State University, Chico, from Wikipedia)}

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Prayer

Campus Access

California State University

Campus Access

Department of Education Rescinds Regulations Protecting Religious Groups on Campus

Department of Education Rescinds Regulations Protecting Religious Groups on Campus

University of Iowa Campus Ministry Upheld in Federal Court

University of Iowa Campus Ministry Upheld in Federal Court

Court Allows ������Ƶ’s Case Against Wayne State to go Forward

Court Allows ������Ƶ’s Case Against Wayne State to go Forward

������Ƶ Defends Religious Freedom at Iowa

������Ƶ Defends Religious Freedom at Iowa

������Ƶ Defends Religious Freedom in Wayne State University Case

������Ƶ Defends Religious Freedom in Wayne State University Case

������Ƶ Chapters Return to CSU

������Ƶ Chapters Return to CSU

Campus Engagement Vice President Named

Campus Engagement Vice President Named

When ������Ƶ Was Derecognized at Purdue

When ������Ƶ Was Derecognized at Purdue

Re-creating Campus Ministry

Re-creating Campus Ministry

������Ƶ Christian Fellowship Forced to Find New Ways to Operate in California After University System Ruling Requires Permitting Non-Christians to be Chapter Leaders

Building on Success

About ������Ƶ

A Day of Prayer for Campus Access

A Day of Prayer for Campus Access

Court Allows ��Ƶ’s Case Against Wayne State to go Forward

Court Allows ��Ƶ’s Case Against Wayne State to go Forward

��Ƶ Defends Religious Freedom at Iowa

��Ƶ Defends Religious Freedom at Iowa

��Ƶ Defends Religious Freedom in Wayne State University Case

��Ƶ Defends Religious Freedom in Wayne State University Case

��Ƶ Chapters Return to CSU

��Ƶ Chapters Return to CSU

When ��Ƶ Was Derecognized at Purdue

When ��Ƶ Was Derecognized at Purdue

��Ƶ Christian Fellowship Forced to Find New Ways to Operate in California
After University System Ruling Requires Permitting Non-Christians to be Chapter Leaders

About ��Ƶ