Last week, the University of Wisconsin System proposed a systemwide policy to allow Resident Assistants (RAs) “the same rights as other students to lead and participate in activities anywhere on campus.”
The proposal was made by UW System President Kevin P. Reilly, who said in a press release on March 1 that it “balances the rights and responsibilities of RAs as students and employees.”
“I don’t expect that creating systemwide rules will halt debate on this issue nor will the policy address every situation that might arise. But along with existing rules and regulations, this policy encourages resident assistants to take full advantage of what our campuses offer them as students themselves, and at the same time, helps them create an open and inclusive environment for students who live on campus,” Reilly continued.
The proposed policy comes just months after the Alliance Defense Fund filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the officials at University of Wisconsin Eau Claire for violating RA Lance Steiger’s rights. According to the ADF, Steiger was told by university officials that RAs “were not permitted to hold Bible studies anywhere in their dorms, including their own rooms.” Steiger also contacted the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education about his situation and they [FIRE] sent a letter detailing Steiger’s right to his university. When that did not effect a policy change, the ADF filed suit against the school.
The complaint filed by the ADF on November 30, 2005 said that school officials were enforcing the policy as to unfairly prohibit religious speech.
This week, on March 9 the recommended policy extending RAs rights will be before the Board of Regents for the UW System and could be adopted by the full board on March 10.
The proposed policy reads:
Resident Assistants are expected to work with student residents to create an open, inclusive, and supportive residential community. At the same time, because RAs are students themselves, they are encouraged to participate in campus activities and organizations. As such, RAs may participate in, organize, and lead any meetings or activities, within their rooms, floors or residence halls, or anywhere else on campus, to the same extent as other students. However, they may not use their positions to inappropriately influence, pressure, or coerce student residents to attend or participate.
Just last week, ADF attorneys sent a letter to the University of Wisconsin-Madison regarding a Catholic student organization. Their letter came after the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FRFF) sent a letter on February 26 to UW-Madison demanding the de-funding of the University of Wisconsin Roman Catholic Foundation (UWRCF) simply because of the group’s religious viewpoint.
According to the Badger Herald and the ADF the UWRCF received funding cuts last year, which were challenged by the organization by spokesperson Tim Krause before a student judiciary. Krause argued that the cuts were a form of religious discrimination and were not made to any other student groups. The ADF said that the student judiciary overturned the funding cuts and granted the UWRCF their budget requests.
“Eliminating funding in order to placate an outside political organization amounts to viewpoint discrimination. We have written to the university to remind it that the law requires that its students and student organizations have equal rights to free speech and student fee funding. FFRF’s demands have no merit,” said David French, ADF’s senior legal counsel.
The ADF is a legal coalition dedicated to protecting religious freedom, academic freedom, the sanctity of life and the traditional family. They fulfill their goals through strategy, training and litigation, according to their Web site.
Julia A. Seymour is a staff writer at Accuracy in Academia.
