ADF Attorneys Help To Secure Univ. of Wisconsin RA’s Right To Hold Bible Study In Dorm Room

Posted on March 26, 2006

Where are the ACLU when Christian religious rights are being trampled on? Well in Wisconsin they were once again agreeing with the oppressers.

Chris Ahmuty, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin, said his organization is looking into the issue. Ahmuty agreed with the university’s position that state employees should not be organizing religious or political events on work time or place.

“The function of the R.A. is almost like a big brother or big sister,” Ahmuty said. “When they’re in the dorm they’re an R.A. 24/7…. This isn’t like a jail situation where students have no other alternative. They can go off campus.”

However, thanks to the Alliance Defense Fund their rights have been upheld.

University officials have agreed to settle a case involving a university policy threatening disciplinary action for resident assistants holding Bible studies anywhere in their dorms.

“Colleges and universities shouldn’t treat Christian students any differently than other students–whether religious or not,” said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Kevin Theriot. “ADF is very pleased that school officials at the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire changed their minds and decided to respect the First Amendment rights of RAs instead of restricting them. A student’s speech in his dorm room is free; the fact that the speech is religious doesn’t change that.”

ADF attorneys filed the lawsuit on behalf of Lance Steiger, a student residential assistant who had led Bible studies in his dorm room since becoming an RA several years ago. Recently, university officials informed Steiger and other RAs that they were prohibited from holding Bible studies anywhere in their dorms, including their own rooms. Other RAs had led groups in their rooms to discuss various topics including feminism and sexual issues.

The university did not change its policy against Bible studies in dorms, even after Steiger contacted the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, which wrote a letter to university officials explaining Steiger’s rights. When ADF attorneys representing Steiger filed the lawsuit, the university temporarily suspended its policy, saying it would form a committee to study the matter.

“The university came to the right conclusion that the First Amendment protects religious speech and that this student’s rights had indeed been violated,” said Theriot. “It’s about time universities take a look at their policies and focus on being constitutionally correct instead of ‘politically correct.’”

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Comments

3 Responses to “ADF Attorneys Help To Secure Univ. of Wisconsin RA’s Right To Hold Bible Study In Dorm Room”

apostle on March 26th, 2006 2:51 pm

Where is the ACLU indeed? People keep telling me that I misunderstand these cases, yet there it is.
Gribbit on March 26th, 2006 4:00 pm

Rest assured, if this were a case of Wicca or a gay rights club meeting in this room and the University opposed it, the ACLU and the alphabet networks would be all over this. But because it is a Christian Bible study group that is being oppressed, the ACLU is content to let it play out without their comment or input.

I don’t know why this University opposes this RA holding a private Bible study in his living space. If it were occurring in a common area, I could see them putting kibosh on it. But this was behind a closed door in the RA’s living space, the school has no right to dictate what this man can do within his room unless he is breaking a law. No laws were being broken. Actually one was being celebrated – The 1st Amendment.

Sorry for ranting in the comments section.

/rant
kerwin_brown on March 26th, 2006 10:13 pm

The ADF did a good job in fighting true tyranny.