U-Wisconsin Ignores Law

MADISON, Wis. — The director of the Alliance Defense Fund’s Center for Academic Freedom sent a letter to University of Wisconsin officials today warning them about the illegality of their continued de-recognition of Christian student groups.

“Christian student groups shouldn’t be treated differently from other student organizations,” said ADF Senior Legal Counsel David French, who wrote the letter. “The University of Wisconsin has decided to force campus student organizations to violate their core beliefs, even in the face of controlling federal case law that bars them from doing so.”

“This is just another example of the university’s position of ‘free speech for me, but not for thee,’” French added. “The double standard here is amazing. To the University of Wisconsin, Christian speech must be marginalized or censored, while, at the same time, the University enthusiastically proclaims that the First Amendment protects Professor Kevin Barrett, a radical conspiracy theorist, when he advances his bizarre theory that the government staged the September 11, 2001, attacks. Even worse, the university is apparently willing to defy binding court decisions for the sake of excluding Christians.”

In recent weeks, the University of Wisconsin-Superior has denied recognition of the school’s InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison has derecognized the Knights of Columbus. They allege the groups are in violation of the school “anti-discrimination policy” by not allowing non-Christians to serve in leadership positions. Non-recognized groups are denied access to campus facilities and student funding.

In his letter to university officials, French cited the recent decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit in which the court reinstated the official recognized status of the student Christian Legal Society (CLS) chapter at the Southern Illinois University School of Law (www.telladf.org/news/story.aspx?cid=3798). CLS attorneys and ADF-allied attorney David O. Edwards of the Springfield law firm Giffin, Winning, Cohen & Breedlove, represented the CLS chapter in the case. The University of Wisconsin is located in the same federal circuit as Southern Illinois University and is under authority of that court.

A copy of French’s letter to the university officials can be read at www.telladf.org/UserDocs/UWIVCFletter.pdf.

ADF is a legal alliance defending the right to hear and speak the Truth through strategy, training, funding, and litigation.