LU and Its College Democrats: Debate All You Want, But ...

Just about anyone could have predicted the response to Liberty University’s decision to revoke its recognition of the College Democrats club earlier this month.

Liberals, Democrats and longtime opponents of the school have accused LU of any number of sins; squashing free speech, fascism and totalitarianism are just a few of the epithets hurled at the school.

But these are the facts of the matter, difficult though they may be for some people to hear:

* Liberty University, first and foremost, is a private institution that has every right to craft its own mission, set its own standards and principles and enforce those standards as it sees fit.

* It is totally self-reliant and accepts no federal or state dollars. It stands on its own.

* With LU, what you see is what you get. Leaders of the school make no apologies for the institution’s socially and theologically conservative principles. No one comes to LU expecting it to be a bastion of secular liberalism.

* That strict adherence to its founding principles, quite obviously, rings true with a large number of people. Just over the last five years or so, the student body has grown from just under 5,000 to more than 11,000 today; when the number of people enrolled in its distance learning programs is factored in, the tally tops 50,000.

It’s easy to unload on LU and its administrators for the decision, especially if you’re not in possession of all the facts. And many folks have done just that, including Timothy M. Kaine (Virginia’s governor and the head of the Democratic National Committee) and the three Democratic candidates for governor, who flocked to the story like flies to honey. Even Bob McDonnell, the GOP gubernatorial candidate, expressed unease at the decision, perhaps with an eye to the polls.

But again, as a private institution, LU is perfectly within its rights to say, “We can not give you official sanction because we fundamentally disagree with the beliefs of your parent organization.” The sanctity of life and support for traditional marriage are among the most important of the theological pillars that underpin LU, and the parent organization of the LU College Democrats club is diametrically opposed to LU’s own principles. How could LU possibly remain true to itself, as an institution, and say nothing of this obvious division?

Some LU critics have cited First Amendment concerns, saying the school is violating the students’ rights of self-expression and assembly.

Nothing could be further from the truth; the school did not tell the club members they couldn’t be Democrats or vote for Democratic candidates, only that the university’s name couldn’t be used by the club in any way that could give the impression of an official relationship between the club and LU.

University officials have said in recent days that the club members’ initial perception their group was banned from campus was wrong, and they’re working to rectify the situation. Club officers are also mulling an apology for stating LU’s vice president for student affairs essentially said being a Democrat and a Christian are mutually exclusive

Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. has stated he is determined to work out some sort of accommodation with the club members. We believe he’s sincere in that promise.

This controversy needs to end, the sooner the better.