Even though InterVarsity’s chapters at the University of Wisconsin-Superior and Georgetown University have officially been disaffiliated on their campuses, the chapters are still meeting. But, at the same time, their status remains precarious because they do not have official standing.
The UW-Superior chapter has been holding its large group meetings in the student center this fall. The chapter is also once again proceeding through the formal recognition hearings before the student senate that are held each October. A student senate committee met last week and postponed action on a recommendation that the chapter’s application for re-affiliation be denied. The lawsuit against the University of Wisconsin will continue no matter what the student senate decides, since the lawsuit is based on last year’s disaffiliation.
At Georgetown University, the weekly large group meetings are still being held in classrooms, and Bible studies are being held in student residences. “They have been told by the Office of Campus Ministry that they may use the InterVarsity name, reserve classrooms, and publicize on campus – they just may not do this under the auspices of Campus Ministry,” reports campus staff member Jennifer DeJong. “This has given them considerably more freedom to have a presence on campus than was indicated by the original letter announcing the disaffiliation. Students are gathering daily to pray, organizing service projects and social events, and looking for other ways to live out their faith and serve the university community.”
Georgetown University has appointed an Advisory Committee on Protestant Ministries which is reviewing the situation. Kevin Offner, a campus staff member working with Graduate and Faculty Ministry is a member of the committee, which held its first meeting this week. “We are hopeful that the advisory committee will recommend a course of action that legitimizes InterVarsity in relationship to the university and restores full access to benefits enjoyed by other student groups such as non-classroom meeting space and recognition on the university website,” Jennifer said.
InterVarsity staff, students, and faculty advisers continue working to address the issues that lead to disaffiliation on each campus. Even though the impact on each campus was similar, the specifics of each situation are substantially different. We are hopeful that fairness and common sense will prevail and, as at Rutgers and other universities where chapters were threatened in the past, InterVarsity will ultimately be officially permitted to continue its work with college students at the University of Wisconsin-Superior and Georgetown University.
More thoughts from InterVarsity president Alec Hill.
