Univ. of Virginia to recognize pro-freedom student group next month
Friday, Dec 22, 2017
The following quote may be attributed to Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Casey Mattox, director of the ADF Center for Academic Freedom, regarding the University of Virginia’s assurances that the denial of recognition to student organization Young Americans for Freedom due to misapplication of university policy will be corrected next month:
“Public university officials should respect the constitutionally protected freedom of all students to associate with one another based on their shared interests and beliefs. We commend UVa officials for taking prompt action to respect that for Young Americans for Freedom. The original denial of recognition for YAF was an illegal and unconstitutional application of UVa policy that prohibited the club from asking its official members and leaders to affirm its basic conservative principles. Based on the representations of university officials to us, we are confident that this sole impediment to YAF’s recognition has been addressed, and the student government will recognize YAF at the beginning of the spring semester.”
“Public university officials should respect the constitutionally protected freedom of all students to associate with one another based on their shared interests and beliefs. We commend UVa officials for taking prompt action to respect that for Young Americans for Freedom. The original denial of recognition for YAF was an illegal and unconstitutional application of UVa policy that prohibited the club from asking its official members and leaders to affirm its basic conservative principles. Based on the representations of university officials to us, we are confident that this sole impediment to YAF’s recognition has been addressed, and the student government will recognize YAF at the beginning of the spring semester.”- Young Americans for Freedom news release (2017-12-20)
Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization that advocates for the right of people to freely live out their faith.
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