A Proposal for the Full Committee's Consideration 

Religious student groups welcome all students to explore religious values and ideas, to 

participate in their activities, and to experience authentic community. Religious student groups create 

welcoming, safe environments for students away from home for the first time. They are crucial to 

helping first-generation college students find a nurturing place in an unfamiliar environment. 

But for many decades, student organizations too frequently have been threatened with loss of 

recognition as an official student organization on some public college campuses because their 

speech, beliefs, practices, or leadership standards are religious. Ifexcluded, a group loses free 

meeting space, as well as access to new student fairs and communication channels available to other 

student groups. If a group hopes to exist on campus, such access to meeting space and 

communication channels is essential. 

Recently, a major public university told over 30 religious student groups -- representing 

Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, Evangelical Christian, and other faiths -- that they would have to 

leave campus because they required their leaders to agree with their distinct religious beliefs. But this 

is wrong. Religious groups should have a place on campus alongside other student groups. 

Environmental groups, affinity groups, and political groups get to choose leaders who agree with 

their political or social beliefs. Similarly, religious groups' selection ofleaders who agree with their 

religious beliefs should also be protected. Because they often lead a religious group's scripture study, 

prayer, and worship, it is especially important that student leaders share the group's religious beliefs. 

We recommend to the Committee that the following proposed language be added as a 

definition in 34 CFR § 600.2: 

Respect the religious mission ofreligious student organizations: As used in §600.4, a public 

institution ofhigher education shall not deny to a religious student organization at the institution any 

right, benefit, or privilege that is otherwise afforded to other student organizations at the institution 

(including full access to the facilities ofthe institution and official recognition ofthe organization by 

the institution) because ofthe religious beliefs, practices, speech, or leadership standards ofthe 

religious student organization. 

Then the following language would be added to 34 CFR § 600.4: 

(d) The Secretary does not recognize the accreditation or preaccreditation of a public 

nonprofit educational institution unless the institution agrees to respect the religious mission of 

religious student organizations at the institution. 

This reasonable, straightforward solution would not require a public college to adopt any 

policy, and colleges would remain free to choose whatever policies work best for their campuses. 

This solution would simply prevent a college from using any policy to exclude student groups from 

campus because oftheir religious speech, beliefs, practices, or leadership standards. It would resolve 

a recurrent nationwide problem without placing any new administrative burdens on colleges. And it 

would ensure that religious students are able to continue to contribute to their campus communities.