Christian university stonewalls pro-life student group
The club's founder said the approval process should have taken “no longer than a month and a half” but that the application was “practically ignored by the administration.”
Huntington University is currently under fire after allegedly stalling the approval of an application seeking to establish a chapter of Students for Life.
Huntington University is currently under fire after allegedly stalling the approval of an application seeking to establish a chapter of Students for Life.
Students for Life of America’s legal counsel, Zachary Kester, sent a letter to the Indiana-based Christian accusing the university of reneging on its mission statement by preventing student groups from expressing dissenting views. It also notes that the group’s values are aligned with those of the school.
[RELATED: One year after Dobbs, campus hostility to pro-life students continues]
Huntington disputed this in a statement to the Christian Post. “The approval process for the proposed club in question had not been completed as of the end of the spring semester,” the university said. “The University has not denied permission for the proposed club to continue in the process to seek approval.”
However, a blog post on the SFLA website written by an anonymous student who sought to establish the club stated that the club constitution was submitted to the Student Life Office “within the first seven business days of the 2023 spring semester.”
The student said the approval process should have taken “no longer than a month and a half” but that the application was “practically ignored by the administration.”
After not hearing from the school for an extended period, the school reportedly claimed that the group would be “too political.” The applicant denied this, saying that the group wants “to remove the partisan barriers of being pro-life” and that it supports left-wing pro-life groups such as Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising and Democrats for Life of America.
[Related: EXCLUSIVE: Pro-life group’s display vandalized 10 times at Christopher Newport University]
Huntington’s Vice President of Student Life, Ron Coffey, told the student in a March meeting that the school was opposed to its affiliation with Students for Life of America. However, the demand letter sent by SFLA points out that the school has approved other student groups with national or state affiliation, such as Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Student Occupational Therapy Association and Indiana Collegiate Farm Bureau.
The group agreed to change the name of the club, but it has still not been approved.
The student said that Huntington is “suppressing my creativity and initiative for the pro-life movement,” and is “acting as though they are ‘Christian’ in name only.”
“By the grace of God, this will hopefully be the push they need to submit to the Lord’s will and approve this club.”
Huntington University and Students for Life of America have been contacted for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
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