Yale May Not Recognize Christian Fraternity

Religion Today | Updated: Oct 03, 2012

Yale May Not Recognize Christian Fraternity

A newly approved Christian fraternity at Yale University may be denied official recognition and student group funding because it plans to restrict membership to men who believe in Jesus, WORLD on Campus reports. Just days after the leaders of Beta Upsilon Chi (BYX) announced the formation of the Yale chapter, the student newspaper Yale Daily News reported that the group would "have to change its membership rules if it intends to comply with Yale's anti-discrimination policies." Yale's policy bans all university-affiliated groups from discrimination based on "sex, race, color, religion, age, disability, or national or ethnic origin," though groups like Yale Law Women exclude men. While BYX requires its brothers to be Christians, it does not exclude non-Christians from the group's social events. At Yale, BYX members said they hoped to strengthen the Christian community, but also provide a social alternative to traditional Greek activities for anyone interested. John Meesek, Yale's associate dean for student organizations and physical resources, told the Yale Daily News that "exclusivity on the basis of religion is against Yale's anti-discrimination policies," but declined to comment on the BYX chapter. Yale representatives have declined to comment to any news source about the future of BYX's registration, but communications officer Karen Peart said the dean's office was working to resolve the matter and would communicate a resolution once one was made.

Yale May Not Recognize Christian Fraternity