UW System to pay RA's legal fees
Spectator Staff and News Services
Issue date: 3/29/06 Section: Campus News
The UW System will pay UW-Eau Claire RA Lance Steiger $2,500 for legal fees associated with his lawsuit against Eau Claire's policy of not allowing RAs to hold Bible studies in their residence halls, according to a statement made Friday.
The settlement, argued in U.S. District Court in Madison, also calls for the System to pay Steiger a symbolic $1 in damages.
The settlement came two weeks after the System Board of Regents adopted a policy allowing RAs to host religious and political meetings in their residence hall rooms. The policy prohibits RAs from pressuring their residents to participate.
Eau Claire and UW-Madison were the only System schools to specifically ban the practice prior to the Board's decision.
Steiger, with the Alliance Defense Fund, filed the civil suit against Eau Claire after Associate Director of Housing and Residence Life Deb Newman sent a letter during the summer of 2005 informing him of Eau Claire's policy banning him from holding Bible studies in his residence hall.
The settlement, argued in U.S. District Court in Madison, also calls for the System to pay Steiger a symbolic $1 in damages.
The settlement came two weeks after the System Board of Regents adopted a policy allowing RAs to host religious and political meetings in their residence hall rooms. The policy prohibits RAs from pressuring their residents to participate.
Eau Claire and UW-Madison were the only System schools to specifically ban the practice prior to the Board's decision.
Steiger, with the Alliance Defense Fund, filed the civil suit against Eau Claire after Associate Director of Housing and Residence Life Deb Newman sent a letter during the summer of 2005 informing him of Eau Claire's policy banning him from holding Bible studies in his residence hall.