Milwaukee School of Engineering: Threat to Christian Group’s Freedom of Association

Case Materials

"Victory for Religious Liberty at Milwaukee School of Engineering," FIRE Press Release, April 22, 2005: In a victory for religious liberty and freedom of association, the Milwaukee School of Engineering has granted full recognition to the ReJOYce in Jesus Campus Fellowship (RJCF) student group. On Monday, April 18, the school’s student government granted full recognition to all student organizations with “temporary status,” which included RJCF. The student government’s decision came after FIRE took the case public last week.
"Milwaukee School of Engineering Breaks Promise of Religious Freedom," FIRE Press Release, April 13, 2005: The Milwaukee School of Engineering has refused to recognize a Christian student organization because of an article in the group’s bylaws that requires members to live in accordance with certain tenets of the group’s statement of faith—despite the fact that the group has been recognized in the past with the same constitution and bylaws. The student government has also requested that the group be open to competing scriptural interpretations.
"E-mail from MSOE Student Government Association Official to RJCF Advisor, March 30, 2005," March 30, 2005
"MSOE Student Government Association’s Suggested Changes to RJCF Constitution, March 28, 2005," March 28, 2005
"FIRE Letter to MSOE President Hermann Viets, March 23, 2005," March 23, 2005
"Letter from MSOE Student Government Association to RJCF, January 31, 2005," January 31, 2005

"MSOE, Christian group at peace," Mark Johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, April 22, 2005: For several months, the Milwaukee School of Engineering and a group called ReJOYce in Jesus Campus Fellowship have found themselves in the middle of a national debate over the practices of college religious groups, an issue that pits the principle of freedom of speech and association against non-discrimination.