Liberty University has prohibited privileges granted to other student organizations, and these privileges where denied based solely on what the organization believes. Did Liberty deny recognition to a white supremacy group, or did Liberty not allow an anti-Semitic organization to use the universities name in association with their group? The university has denied the College Democrats to ability to use the university's name or to receive any funding from the university, based on their support of candidates.
According to a Liberty press release, the College Democrats are allowed to meet on campus, however the student group could no longer identify with the university and the university will no longer sponsor or endorse the group. The university has stated that this would be a better situation for the student group because they did not have to gain approval for meetings and could endorse candidates that are pro-life. However, this also means that the student group cannot participate in promoting their group on campus, and will not be allowed to invite speakers or hold any other events besides the unofficial meetings.
According to a National Public Radio (NPR) report, the chancellor of the university, Jerry Falwell, Jr., said that ""It's not about Democrat/Republican. It's about protecting the sanctity of life." Falwell stated that the reason the student group is not longer recognized was because of its support for pro-choice candidates and candidates that support gay rights. The College Democrats on campus have not publically endorsed abortion rights or same-sex marriage, and in fact the group's constitution expresses their opposition to those policies. In the NPR report Brian Diaz, the President of the College Democrats, said that "Jesus talked about the poor more than he did about abortion or gay marriage."
According to another article in the Washington Post, Diaz stated that the group's constitution, which was approved by university officials, gives the group latitude to endorse candidates. Both the College Democrats and the College Republicans endorsed candidates. Also, according to the same article the two groups where preparing to organize anti-abortion events this fall.
What this situation really exposes is how out of touch the officials at Liberty University are with the direction that America is going, and with how the new generation of college students and young Christians view the world. Christians have begun to vote Democratic with increasing regularity over the last thirty years, and a majority of Catholics voted for Barack Obama this November. The idea that you have to be conservative if you are a Christian has been changing, and organizations such as Cross Left and the Center for Progressive Christianity have been challenging the status quo. Also, there are Christian denominations such as the Disciples of Christ and the United Church of Christ that have been promoting more inclusive congregations.
In an article in Britain's Guardian, Kevin Roose wrote about spending a semester as an undercover student at Liberty. Roose notes that while there is the conservative Christian population there that you would expect, there is also a growing number of Christians with a more progressive view of the world. However, the university uses its authority to suppress minority opinions, from censoring the student newspaper to disciplining those that "participation in an unauthorized petition or demonstration."
Liberty University is a private institution, and they are allowed to support or not support organizations. However, Liberty has a responsibility to nurture the higher education of its students, and this includes promoting an environment that allows for the open expression of ideas and opinions. Punishing students for expressing their beliefs sends a terrible message. If students must worry about the punitive results of expressing an opinion than it stifles discussion and learning, which is the ultimate purpose of any university. Liberty should reinstate the College Democrats.
Starting June 1st and ending June 5th, there will be multi-faceted campaign to showing support for the College Democrats of Liberty University as well as showing disappointment in the decision to suspend their activities as well as no longer recognize them as an official Liberty University organization.
Contact Information:
Jerry Falwell Jr. (Chancellor)
email: chancellor@liberty.edu
(434) 582-2950
Mark Hine (VP for Student Affairs)
email: mhine@liberty.edu
(434) 592-3240
