UHCL sued by Ratio Christi student organization
Oct. 25, UHCL student organization Ratio Christi brought a lawsuit against UHCL.
The lawsuit was filed by the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) after Ratio Christi claimed they were not officially recognized by the school and were subject to subsequent delays in their recognition process since their official filing in August. Ratio Christi gained official recognition as a registered student organization Oct. 29.
The lawsuit filed by the ADF claims Ratio Christi was denied recognition because of a clause in their constitution requiring officers of the organization to be of Christian faith.
The Ratio Christi constitution states that officers must “profess a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and abstain from any conduct that would impair their ability to bear witness of their faith and serve the purposes of the organization.”
The suit also claims Ratio Christi’s recognition process was drawn out to prevent them from attending the Student Organization Expo Aug. 26. Andrea De Robles, president of the Ratio Christi student organization, denied a request to be interviewed.
“The application was never denied and was still in process when the lawsuit was filed,” said Shawn Lindsey, associate vice chancellor of media relations for the UH System. “The university’s approval of the student organization is consistent with the policies that are in place. University of Houston-Clear Lake has always allowed officers of student organizations to align with the tenets of the organization they represent.”
The dispute comes from UHCL requiring a non-discrimination clause to be included in every student organization’s constitution. The organizations are not allowed to discriminate against members on the basis of “race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, genetic information, mental or physical disability, veteran status, gender, sexual orientation, or gender identity and gender expression.”
A request for a copy of the student organization policies was denied by the office of Student Involvement and Leadership.
“Our student org policies are not available for public view at the moment because they are undergoing revisions,” said Shelby Kuepker, coordinator for student organizations and activities.
An archived version from February 2021 is available online. The student handbook webpage notes that the student organization policies are under review with an updated policy expected January 31, 2022.
This is not the first time a student organization has challenged the non-discrimination clause. In August 2020, the Black Student Association (BSA) challenged the clause.
“As long as social injustices live comfortably on this campus, we won’t promote these claims,” said former BSA officers Sheridan Allison, Alyssa Shotwell and Lisa Jatta.
“The retaliation that we have faced and will likely continue to experience is not worth that,” said the former BSA officers, who chose to move on from working with UHCL.
Ratio Christi claims in the lawsuit other recognized student organizations have similar requirements in their constitutions for officer positions. Organizations like the Vietnamese Student Association (VSA), Veteran Student Association, and International Student Advisory Board (ISAB) are among those named in the suit.
The VSA contains a clause in its constitution that states “VSA Officer must be a Vietnamese student currently enrolled at UHCL.”
“Minimum requirement to be a Board of Director: Must be an international student,” states the ISAB constitution.
As of Dec. 14, the lawsuit is ongoing.
“UHCL is unable to comment about Ratio Christi because litigation is pending,” said Erica Njoku, associate director of student involvement and leadership.
“Now, the university must do the next right thing and rescind the unconstitutional policies that are still in place that were used to exclude Ratio Christi because it requires its leaders to agree with its values and mission,” said the ADF in a press release.
