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Christian group at Sonoma State runs afoul of anti-discrimination policy (InterVarsity)
The Press Democrat ^ | 9/22/14 | Matt Brown

Posted on 09/24/2014 2:23:23 PM PDT by Faith Presses On

A newly enforced anti-discrimination policy at Sonoma State University has caused a Christian organization to lose its campus recognition and potentially thousands of dollars that come with being an officially sanctioned club.

The InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, a national student organization that has operated at SSU since 1962, was stripped of its campus recognition at the beginning of this school year as the California State University system began enforcing a three-year-old policy that prevents clubs from discriminating on the basis of race, religion, national origin, ethnicity, color, age, gender, marital status, citizenship, sexual orientation or disability.

InterVarsity accepts all members, but leaders of the group must be Christian and agree with doctrinal beliefs, said Jenny Klouse, the group’s area director.

“We agree with CSU that anyone can become a member,” she said. “Where we differ is at the leadership level. As a religious organization, it is important that our leaders have that faith, otherwise we’d cease to be a group founded on faith.”

The policy applies to some 160 organizations and clubs at SSU, said Heather Howard Martin, director of the Center for Student Leadership, Involvement and Service. Only fraternities and sororities are granted an exemption, in their case for gender.

(Excerpt) Read more at pressdemocrat.com ...


TOPICS: Current Events; General Discusssion; Moral Issues
KEYWORDS:

1 posted on 09/24/2014 2:23:23 PM PDT by Faith Presses On
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To: Faith Presses On

They can always join the black student alliance, en masse.


2 posted on 09/24/2014 2:28:26 PM PDT by WayneS (Don't blame me, I voted for Kodos.)
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To: Faith Presses On

Is there Muslim Student Organization?


3 posted on 09/24/2014 2:28:42 PM PDT by Steely Tom (Thank you for self-censoring.)
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To: Faith Presses On

That policy is not “anti” discrimination


4 posted on 09/24/2014 2:32:49 PM PDT by GeronL (Vote for Conservatives not for Republicans)
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To: Faith Presses On

Join the LGBT group, elect yourself as leaders and pray for all of them.


5 posted on 09/24/2014 2:33:11 PM PDT by Drango (A liberal's compassion is limited only by the size of someone else's wallet.)
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To: Faith Presses On

IMO, this could all be avoided by the University if all groups had to be self-funded and not use any university or government funds or meet on university property.

OTOH, I’m sure that the NAACP and/or the Democrats have a group meeting on the campus. All the non-Blacks that are Conservative and/or Republicans should attend their meetings in a large enough block to elect “one of their kind” to be in a leadership position. We know how welcome whites are as NAACP members. Or perhaps a group of devout Bible readers could start attending the poetry club and insist on reading and discussing the Bible, perhaps beginning with the book of Psalms.

Never really understood why people would want to be part of a group with which they had little in common. Of course, most of these issues have little to do with common logic.


6 posted on 09/24/2014 2:37:26 PM PDT by Grams A (The Sun will rise in the East in the morning and God is still on his throne.)
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To: Grams A
Never really understood why people would want to be part of a group with which they had little in common.

To destroy it?

7 posted on 09/24/2014 2:45:16 PM PDT by Steely Tom (Thank you for self-censoring.)
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To: Faith Presses On

The lever here is a simple one, not a membership constraint, but a leadership constraint.

For example, a foreign language club would likely insist that because its meetings are conducted in a foreign language, its leaders must speak that language. Thus it is not discriminatory for that to be a requirement.

Likewise, in a Christian club, they could create a competency requirement for the subject matter, for all leaders. That this competency would exclude students who were not scholars of Christianity is not prejudicial.

The competency would likely require Christian explanations of the miraculous to the point where it would gag any atheist or non-Christian.


8 posted on 09/24/2014 2:47:32 PM PDT by yefragetuwrabrumuy ("Don't compare me to the almighty, compare me to the alternative." -Obama, 09-24-11)
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To: Faith Presses On

Hey, I went to school there in 1976 (the campus is actually in Rohnert Park). Didn’t stay, though. It was just one stop on a long journey of schools and majors in the days when I was a professional student. Had some fun times there, though.


9 posted on 09/24/2014 2:50:55 PM PDT by ought-six ( Multiculturalism is national suicide, and political correctness is the cyanide capsule.)
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To: yefragetuwrabrumuy

that foils the mission of such a club, Personally I would have the Christian club members join every leftist club on campus and run for offices in the clubs.


10 posted on 09/24/2014 2:50:56 PM PDT by Chickensoup (Leftist totalitarian fascism is on the move.)
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To: Chickensoup

I’d get a conservative and/or Christian law firm, preferably they would take the case pro bono, and sue the heck out of Sonoma State.


11 posted on 09/24/2014 3:58:33 PM PDT by flaglady47 (The useful idiots always go first)
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