[Vision2020] Religous Organizations at UI

[Timothy Rigsby]

What people are forgetting is that these groups are all student groups and their membership is based on students from UI.  These groups are acceptable to students because students are the ones who support these groups.  Yes, the websites are hosted by UI, but our student fees are what covers the hosting of these sites.  Financially, these groups are eligible for funding from ASUI, but again this money comes from the students and not the tax payers.  There is an obvious difference here.


The Muslim Student Association, Adventist Student Fellowship, Campus Crusade
for Christ and Lutheran Campus Ministry all have UI websites.
Example: http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/~msa/
Do they rent the website or is it supported by taxpayer dollars?
I worked on the campus for 6 years, I know for a fact that at least one
religious group used the Quiet Room at Wallace Complex on a regular basis.
I don't doubt the groups aren't publicly funded, but they are using taxpayer
owned facilities and webhosting.
So what do we do? Ban them all? I think that would bring up some serious
First Amendment questions.
Just because one doesn't like a groups' message doesn't give one the right
to ban them, or keep them from using public facilities.

Kai T. Eiselein
Editor
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