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New policy allows Bible study

by Michael Gendall
Monday, March 20, 2006

Resident assistants across the state will now be allowed to lead Bible studies and other ideological events in their dormitory rooms, provided they do not inappropriately influence student residents, the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents decided March 10.

The resolution, passed unanimously by the regents at their monthly meeting, marks the end of a controversy dating back to November 2005, which prompted two letters to the attorney general and a congressional hearing.

“This policy will permit RAs to conduct meetings anywhere on campus, including in their rooms, to the same extent as other students,” Regent Danae Davis said. “However, RAs cannot use their position to pressure, coerce or inappropriately influence residents to attend or participate in a meeting.”

The policy, according to UW System President Kevin Reilly, was intentionally crafted to be vague regarding what, in particular, constitutes coercion.

This lack of clarity concerned some on the board, including Regent Gerard Randall, who asked if an RA merely extending an invitation would be considered an inappropriate influence.

“We’re trying to walk a fine line here,” Reilly said. “I think once you start to try to define [coercion] in advance, you’re going to be subject to lots of lawsuits and lots of argument that you may not need to have.”

Randall, who ultimately elected not to vote against the resolution, also expressed concern that the language does not specify who would be the arbitrator if and when such issues were to arise.

He said the vagueness of the resolution effectively brings the issue “back to square one again” and that the university did not succeed at creating a uniform system-wide policy.

“Is there a thought that there would at least be some consistency to approach and definition of this, even among the individual campuses?” Randall asked. “Who will be responsible for interpreting that — what that pressure or coercion is?”

Regent President David Walsh, however, said he assumes each university’s chancellor would make the ultimate determination of whether or not a particular RA’s conduct falls within the policy constraints on a case-by-case basis.

Walsh also dismissed concerns about unanswered questions in the resolution, saying most student complaints are handled similarly.

“I don’t see this as any different than any complaint process and the rights of a student to make a complaint,” Walsh said. “I’m not uncomfortable with that because we have those problems every day with many kinds of complaints.”

Controversy over the rights of resident assistants to hold Bible studies in their residence halls began last semester when UW-Eau Claire resident assistant Lance Steiger went public after university officials prohibited him from leading Bible studies in his dorm room.

UW-Madison will be affected by the regents’ decision more than most campuses, as it previously had a written policy forbidding RAs from leading ideological activities in their residence halls.

New policy allows Bible study (http://badgerherald.com/news/2006/03/20/new_policy_allows_bi.php)