This fall, California State University revoked the official club status of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship groups across its 23 campuses. InterVarsity was founded in 1938 and hosts nearly 1,000 chapters across the country today; it allows any student to be a member, but requires its leaders to affirm its “doctrinal basis,” which includes belief in the Bible’s “trustworthiness.” This statement has led some chapters to disallow non-celibate gay people from holding leadership positions (although there are no restrictions on membership), spurring protests against the club. In 2010, the Supreme Court ruled that it isn’t unconstitutional for a student club to require its leaders to adhere to specific religious beliefs, but colleges and universities also don’t have to recognize those clubs. The decision at Cal State, the largest university system in the country, follows sanctions at other schools, including Vanderbilt University and Rollins College.
De-recognition doesn’t mean the club is banned, but it does mean the affected chapters lose certain perks, which usually include funding from student-activity fees along with free or reduced-cost access to meeting rooms. With no official standing at the university, the club is left to request and rent space like any other outside group would, from the Boy Scouts to the local scrapbooking club.
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