Rutgers University: Refusal to Allow Christian Clubs to Require Christian Leadership

The InterVarsity Multi-Ethnic Christian Fellowship at Rutgers University was banned from campus because of its rule that "leaders must seek to adhere to biblical standards and belief in all areas of their lives." Rutgers ruled that allowing a religious student group to select its leadership on the basis of religion constituted discrimination. FIRE wrote to the president of Rutgers, to the members of the Board of Trustees and Board of Governors, and to the university's major donors, urging the administration to undo the damage to the Fellowship. FIRE Legal Network attorney David A. French also filed a lawsuit against Rutgers for violating the First Amendment rights of the Fellowship students. Soon after, Rutgers and the Fellowship released a joint statement announcing that they "have amicably resolved any and all issues regarding the status and governance of the fellowship."