[katepiper]

Jeanni,

All organizations have to follow the university non-discrimination clause, even our faith-based organizations. Information can be found on our student organization registration webpage and our constitution guidelines webpage.

A few of our relevant policies.

All members agree to follow the Nondiscrimination in Membership Clause:?Member selection shall be free from discrimination based on race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, pregnancy, sexual orientation, order of protection, gender identity and expression, age, marital status, disability, genetic information, unfavorable military discharge, status as a veteran, or sex (including sexual harassment, sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking).

When a student organization, whether national or local, has a selective membership (i.e., honor and recognition societies, or professional, service, and social groups) the organization shall not discriminate in member selection based on race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, pregnancy, sexual orientation, order of protection, gender identity and expression, age, marital status, disability, genetic information, unfavorable military discharge, status as a veteran, or sex (including sexual harassment, sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking). Per section 106.14 of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, social fraternities and sororities that are exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code and whose active membership consists primarily of students in attendance at institutions of higher education may select members based on sex.

All members will follow the Nondiscrimination in Educational Programming Clause: All Registered Student Organizations shall be in compliance with all federal and state statutes and regulations and Illinois State University policies pertaining to nondiscrimination in educational programs. Consequently, access to all programming provided or sponsored by Registered Student Organizations shall be free from discrimination based on?race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, pregnancy, sexual orientation, order of protection, gender identity and expression, age, marital status, disability, genetic information, unfavorable military discharge, status as a veteran, or sex (including sexual harassment, sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking). Registered Student Organizations shall provide reasonable accommodations as necessary to individuals with disabilities in order to provide equal opportunity to participate in programs, services, and activities.

New RSOs and RSOs being reinstated that are affiliated with a national organization must provide a signed letter from the national organization in order to register.

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KatePiper
Assistant Dean, Student Activities
Illinois State University – Normal, IL
katepiper@illinoisstate.edu
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Original Message:
Sent: 10-17-2024 09:19
From: Jeanni Winston-Muir
Subject: Federation of Christian Athletes

Good morning my friends,

Wondering if you could share some advice/insights.  We are seeing an increase in student requests to start organizations that have national affiliations.  Some of these organization, like the Federation of Christian Athletes, require student members to sign “faith pledges” in order to join.  As a community college, we have always maintained that these organizations can exist, but in keeping with our funding guidelines, would not be eligible to receive funding from our student activity fees, because they are not “open to all students..”  As we move forward, are there any words of wisdom/cautions/heads up you can share about “closed organizations” beyond funding that I should be aware of?

I appreciate your advice and experience on this subject.  The intersection of First Amendment and Non-discrimination is tricky to navigate!

Have a wonderful day!

Jeanni

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Jeanni Winston-Muir
Executive Director, Student Leadership and Engagement
Frederick Community College
Frederick MD
(301) 846-2489
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