SITE NOTICE | MORE..WordPress Widget v1.6! New, CSS-friendly version of the Sermon Browser is now available with further customization. Please note that updating from the previous version will reset all of the saved widget settings. .. click for more info!
For the second time in two years the University of North Carolina finds itself embroiled in a First Amendment dispute with Christian groups on campus.
The Chapel Hill school has removed official recognition of Alpha Iota Omega, a Christian fraternity, because its officers have refused to sign an anti-discrimination clause on a university application that would have required the group to accept any student as a member, regardless of religion.
The group was formed five years ago for the purpose of "providing leadership and outreach to the campus Greek community through evangelism and mentorship." Without official recognition, Alpha Iota Omega does not qualify to receive student fee money.
"I'm not sure what our next move is going to be," Trevor Hamm, president of the fraternity, told the Raleigh News & Observer. "I just feel that, legally, as a Christian organization at a public university,...
All that is true, Robert. Social fraternities are not centers of morality. I know there are some differences between various fraternities, but cheating, and more importantly corrupting the educational system -- what amounts to bribes from the parents of fraternity members -- fraternity members wear pins not to impress other fraternity members, but to tell faculty members who to give good grades to, no matter what the effort these students put into studying. It can only be depressing to students and faculty who respect the learning model for scholars.
This Christian fraternity should try to be a light to all the students on campus.
Agreed, Jim. Christians ought to fight not for getting 'their share' of the fees, but rather to end universities' practice of assessing fees to fund student activities.
I vividly remember riding my bike around campuses and seeing BMWs and the like, smelling the residuals of beery bacchanals, finding good clothing scattered where students had had trysts, and the like. It's not like students can't fund their own activities.
Why does a Christian organization need to receive student fees? If I were a student at North Carolina, I would not want any of my money to go to basically Muslim groups, even if they accepted Jews and Christians.
Christians should emphasize their dissimilarity not their similarity to the world.
In Nebraska, they passed an anti-hazing law -- I don't know how much good it did -- because of injuries to students. It was interesting to note that apparently are social fraternities invited Jews to join, and then physically humiliated them, for doing so. I never could see the "fun" in being in an organization that consist usually, a bunch of drunken Catholics. Animal House is the norm and not the exception in many schools that have these social organizations.
1
There are a total of 4 user comments displayed | add new comment |
Paul Fountain | 1/30/2009
COMMENTS | 
prov26.5: "
sameness
since we're born totally depraved we're already 'messed up.'..."
