Issue date: 1/28/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Andrea Pendergast Londa Wagner, Associate Campus Director, of Student Impact speaks to members at the first meeting of the semester Thursday night in Hibbard Hall. Student Impact is a self-funded Christian campus organization.

A U.S. District judge recently ruled in favor of the religious-based student group, Roman Catholic Foundation (RCF), saying Madison must immediately stop refusing to pay for student activities involving religion.

According to a report published in the Wisconsin State Journal, RCF filed suit in September after the university denied its requests for funds to print Lenten booklets and run Evangelical training camps and spiritual retreats, saying providing funding would violate the separation of church and state.

But the judge ruled this refusal violates RCF's First Amendment right to free speech.

In an earlier lawsuit last year, the two settled out-of-court, and the university agreed to fund the group more than $250,000 in student fees this school year. The RCF filed September's lawsuit, citing the university violated the agreement.

The two sides are expected to go to trial in June, but for now, the judge ordered the university to stop refusals.

While the answer is still undecided in Madison, UW-Eau Claire officials said all student organizations requesting funds have an equal opportunity at this university.

"The bylaws of the Finance Commission are viewpoint neutral that don't take into consideration any belief structures of the organizations," said Vice Chancellor Andy Soll. "So the criteria for eligibility for funding and the process for applying for funding would be the same whether it's a religious organization or a political organization or anything else."

Soll said several years ago the university rewrote its bylaws, which the legal council at the UW System level reviewed.

"We believe it meets the viewpoint neutrality standard, which we agree with," he said.

Student Senate President Ray French said of the more than 230 student organizations on campus, about 30 of them are religion based.

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