UF Fraternity Allowed To Register As An Official Student Organization
The order came down from an Appeals Court in Georgia. It states that UF officials must allow members of Beta Upsilon Chi to register as a student organization on campus even if their charter states only male Christians can join. That's a requirement that UF officials say violates discrimination policies. But, the court states they'll have to deal with it for now.
Brotherhood, Unity and Jesus Christ. Those are the ideals that members of Beta Upsilon Chi want to follow, and enforce in their recruiting process. But, UF officials say.
"Our student organizations we require all of them to comply with state and federal anti-discrimination policies which means they open their membership up to all students," said UF Spokesperson Janine Sikes.
Meanwhile, Jason Hoyt, Executive Director of the Fraternity's National Organization disagrees.
"It's not discrimination," said Hoyt. "It's every group has a mission statement."
Members of the fraternity took their case to court last year, and after getting all the way up to a federal appeals courts they got the okay for now. The court ordered that UF officials allow Beta members to organize and register as an official student group on campus.
"We will begin the registration process with Beta Upsilon Chi, pending the outcome of the appeal of the original denial that says they cannot register during the trail process," said Sikes.
A temporary fix that Hoyt says he hopes will eventually become permanent. He calls the requirements that members be male and christian essential.
"So in order to fulfil that mission to brotherhood and unity, you have to be a male, a college student and a believer in Christ," said Hoyt.
Now that members of the fraternity are allowed to register at UF temporarily, they will still have to go through the same registration process as everyone else. Meanwhile, their charter stays the same.
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