“University of Houston-Clear Lake punished a Christian student group over its leadership policy” of requiring its leaders to be Christian, reports The College Fix. That led to a lawsuit against the university, and a settlement that restored the group’s ability to pick leaders who are Christian:
University of Houston-Clear Lake student organizations that want to have moral requirements for their leadership positions are guaranteed the right to do so thanks to a lawsuit settlement.
Alliance Defending Freedom announced the new policy after it reached a settlement with the public university. ADF first sued on behalf of Ratio Christi in October and settled recently.
University officials had revoked Ratio Christi’s Registered Student Organization status because the Christian apologetics club required officers to “profess a personal relationship with Jesus Christ” and “agree to live consistently with their Christian faith.”
The settlement requires UHCL to recognize the rights of student clubs to create guidelines for leaders and adds corresponding language into the student handbook. The university paid $26,200 in damages and attorneys’ fees to Ratio Christi, according to ADF….The University of Houston situation is not an isolated incident, the leader of Ratio Christi’s national organization said. At any given time, the group has between three and six of these cases ongoing…
“No university administration has the right to select leaders or their beliefs for a religious group,” he said. “Can you imagine universities requiring the vegetarian club to be open to a meat eater as its student officer, or a neo-Nazi for a Jewish Club, or a man (a real man, not a transgender) for a feminist club?” he said. “Ratio Christi is a Christian organization” he said. “Our leaders must be Christian even though that is certainly not a requirement to be a member.”
