Federal judge throws out Christian fraternity's lawsuit

[Judi Lynn]

Federal judge throws out Christian fraternity's lawsuit

By The Associated Press
05.07.06
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — A federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit filed by a Christian fraternity that challenged the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's nondiscrimination policy.

U.S. District Judge Frank Bullock Jr. ruled May 4 that the 2004 lawsuit was irrelevant because the university revised its policy in May 2005.

The revised policy allows political and religious student groups to exclude members on the basis of beliefs, which was at the center of the lawsuit filed by Alpha Iota Omega.

The fraternity was stripped of its status as an official campus group because the fraternity won't accept nonbelievers or gay students. The university revoked the recognition after fraternity members refused to sign the school's nondiscrimination policy.
(snip)

Recognition gives the fraternity access to student funds and university facilities.
(snip/...)

http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/news.aspx?id=16865

[Erika]

1. People are getting tired of Christians thrusting their will

down the throats of Americans. This is not a theocracy.

[arwalden]

2. Just You Watch...

... it won't be very long before their defenders will come out of the woodwork with cries of being persecuted and victimized by the "War on Christians". :eyes;

[Erika]

3. You mean O'Rielly with his falafel statements?

What a laugh.

[xchrom]

4. allow me...

:woohoo:

[CatholicEdHead]

5. "Christian hating liberal judge" will be coming soon

[Nikia]

6. Fraternities never have had to admit people they don't want

There are probably many fraternities that unofficially don't accept non Christians and homosexual members. I suppose that it could only really get challenged if a member later gets kicked out for that reason.

[JVS]

7. It sounds like the fraternity got its way

[Scooter24]

8. Exactly...

The fraternity didn't need the court to do it for them, the school caved first. I can't begin to believe that any school would allow school-funded groups to openly exclude students simply because they adopt a set of beliefs. "Beliefs" can be construed into many things, so I hope the school is prepared for the possibility of problems in its future.

They probably were trying to push the case simply to get money from the school.

[JVS]

9. I think they might have been pushing the case to establish precedence

Funding is a tricky issue. When I went to college we had an activities fee that went into a general pot. Student groups would sign up members and depending on their number of members they would be allocated a certain amount of money from the pot. Student groups varied from the purely recreational: Cricket Club, Martial Arts Club, Quizbowl Club, to semi-academic: German Language Club, Math Club, Economics Club, to the politics/activism clubs: College Democrats, College Republicans, Black Action Society, and so on. In the cases of the political clubs, I would assume that members of the club had to adhere to some kind of beliefs.

The school would basically fund any club as long as it had a faculty sponsor and at least 10 members. I don't remember if there was a christian or catholic club among the many, but I wouldn't be surprised if there were. I only remember two times where there was controversy over a student organization's receiving and spending money. The first was when the Student Government board used some of its funding that was given to them to pay for some kind of "Leadership Retreat" to throw a kegger at the retreat. They got busted for that. The other was when a society was founded called "The Society for the Finer Things" their entire purpose was to get funding and use it to buy expensive cigars, fine cheeses and take tours of distilleries and wineries.

[msongs]

10. so its now OK to start a NAZI party fraternity ?? or a KKK one? or a

psychotic serial killer one?

Wow, UNC is one happening place.

Msongs
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