The Path for the Few

Religious Discrimination Lingers at Harvard.

by Katie Monticchio

Harvard requires that all official student groups not discriminate by creed. And yet, if Jesus Christ isn't your savior, forget singing with Under Construction, the Christian a cappella group. If you don't believe in "the historic fact of His bodily resurrection," you can't be an officer of the Harvard-Radcliffe Christian Fellowship. Why, then, if they engage in such blatant discrimination, are these groups still being recognized by the administration? Why do they still receive funding from the Undergraduate Council (UC), and why are they allowed to benefit from the use of other University resources?

The purpose of the University's non-discrimination policy in dealing with student groups is to create an atmosphere of comfort and inclusion for all students. But when certain groups are only open to those with strong, unreserved religious beliefs, the options for those looking to become involved in campus life are diminished. Supporting these groups is an ideological outrage, and a completely unjust use of student resources, both financially and in terms of shared facilities.

Policies of Exclusion

There are several religious groups on campus that exclude those of different beliefs in ways ranging from faith requirements for membership to unwritten and unofficial discriminatory behavior. Discrimination of the latter sort, while obvious to the nonbeliever feeling unwelcome at an introductory meeting, is inherently difficult for the administration to detect and address. There is no excuse, however, for the allowances made for such an overtly discriminatory group as Under Construction.

This Christian a cappella group interviews candidates who have passed the musical audition in order to determine whether they are spiritually worthy of membership. The faith requirement begins with, but goes far beyond, claiming "Jesus Christ as personal Savior and Lord." The group's constitution specifies many principles of faith with which even many devoted Christians might not agree. One such requirement is accepting the Bible as "the inspired word of God, complete, infallible and of highest authority in our lives." There is no vagueness in the terms involved; members are actually expected to take literally a text that includes provisions for disbelief in evolution, condemnation of homosexuals, and subjugation of women. Members must also believe "that only faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and regeneration by the Holy Spirit can atone for the sin of humanity." Thus, not only must members be of a certain creed, they must be of a creed that dictates that non-Christians are sinful and therefore inferior. One must wonder, if the administration is truly committed to creating an atmosphere of tolerance and acceptance, how this blatantly intolerant and discriminatory organization could ever get recognition and funding as an official student group.

Other groups, while not as overtly exclusionary, still have suspicious clauses in their constitutions. For example, the Harvard-Radcliffe Christian Fellowship (HRCF) is open to all undergraduates as members but restricts leadership positions to those who "subscribe without reserve" to certain principles of faith. In an opinion piece in the Crimson on December 9, Lara M. Buchak, an officer of HRCF, notes that the group is in compliance with the University's policies, which only specify that membership must be open to all. However, this is debatable based upon how one defines "membership." Being a full member of an organization implies the option of becoming deeply involved, which includes eligibility for leadership positions. Permission to attend meetings without involvement in important decisions about how the organization should be run is not full membership, which in these groups is only granted to devout Christians. Even if the HRCF were technically in accordance with University policy, however, the UC, which awards funding to student groups, has a slightly different non-discrimination policy. It states that the UC shall "discourage" discrimination on a number of different grounds, including creed, and that student groups receiving funding "must not discriminate on the basis of any of the characteristics enumerated." This broader statement would prohibit discrimination in granting leadership positions, which is practiced by the HRCF.

The Harvard-Radcliffe Asian-American Christian Fellowship (AACF)--a sister group of the HRCF--relies on similar discriminatory policies. In practice, however, it appears to be even more exclusionary; while the constitution of the AACF has a non-discrimination clause for membership, its website states that its mission is "to reach the un-reached Asian Americans at Harvard-Radcliffe." In addition, according to a UC report on religious groups written by Jason Lurie, a representative from Cabot House who first brought this issue to the attention of the student body, there have been reports of Asian-American students receiving unsolicited encouragement to join AACF solely due to their race. This type of recruitment is prohibited by University policy.

Deborah Morton, an officer of the HRCF, points out that many other religious groups whose constitutions do not require officers to be of a certain creed nevertheless practice this sort of discrimination. The HRCF, she says, prefers to "be more up-front and honest about it." This honesty, while admirable, does not change the fact that this group, and others like it, are in violation of UC policy and thus should not receive funding.

Granted, Morton makes an excellent point: it is likely that there are other discriminatory religious groups on campus that lie about their practices in their constitutions. But creed discrimination is wrong, even if it is widespread. The answer is not to allow the HRCF to institutionalize discriminatory practices, but rather to hope for an end to all forms of discrimination, both official and unofficial. There is also a difference between a group being homogenous because no one who has different beliefs chooses to be involved, and a group officially excluding others. While the administration has no practical way to ensure diversity within student groups (nor would we necessarily want the administration so overly-involved in student life that it would be able to enforce diversity), it can and should keep groups from legitimizing discrimination in their University-approved constitutions.

Reacting to Discrimination

The administration's recognition of blatantly exclusive groups like Under Construction has set an ominous precedent for tacit approval of discrimination on campus. Currently, the HRCF is under investigation by the office of David Illingworth, Associate Dean of Harvard College, for its discriminatory policies. Regarding the HRCF, he says, "I am in the process of working with them to determine their intentions, policies and, after doing so, to make sure that they comply with the College's expectations." Due to the HRCF's current problems with the administration, the UC has postponed its grant, as well as that of Under Construction. Lurie cites a lack of enforcement of University policy as the real culprit, pointing out that "even student groups that institutionally discriminate...are not forced to change their ways or leave campus." According to Jessica Lau, Chair of the UC Finance Committee, grants for HRCF and Under Construction have merely been postponed until the administration gives approval; there is no serious movement to take away their funding.

Making it an Issue

This is true enough: the general reaction to the idea of demanding equal opportunity for Under Construction membership is a scoff and some comment about people not really wanting to join the musical group anyway. Currently, there are probably few people eager to be members of Under Construction or officers of HRCF who are not devout Christians. But the issue is not one of current impact; rather, it is an issue of precedent. While evangelical Christian groups are not among the most popular organizations on campus, it is important that the non-discrimination policies of the University and the UC be strictly enforced now to prevent allowances for discrimination in the future.

For all the HRCF's alarmist talk of being outnumbered by unbelievers who would take over their organization from the inside if allowed to be officers, there is little likelihood that their group would be victimized by hordes of angry heretics intent on ending Christian solidarity. In practice, they would simply have a friendlier policy towards the few curious questioners interested in finding out more about their religion. There are several examples of successful religious student groups that, in addition to technical compliance with UC policy, have also been widely known to be tolerant and welcoming to those of all beliefs. The Catholic Student Association, Hillel, and the Harvard Islamic Society have particularly good reputations in this regard. According to Tariq Yasin, Vice-President of the Harvard Islamic Society, accepting people of many different religious backgrounds has actually strengthened the group: "Through interaction with people from other backgrounds, we can often learn much more about ourselves and our own beliefs." These groups have been strong, vital forces in campus life, gaining much more general respect and recognition around campus than Under Construction.

Discriminatory membership policies are not the product of strong, confident student groups. They are signs of the weakness of groups with extreme views, who feel the need to ensure a lack of intellectual dissent. Setting a precedent of ignoring discrimination based on creed has dangerous implications for campus life. In their attempts to create a united campus, where people of all races, genders, sexual orientations, ethnicities--and yes, even creeds--can feel accepted, the University must prevent religious groups from getting away with discrimination, in both its official and unofficial forms. If they do not, we will take an unfortunate step towards a more factious campus.

Questions? Comments? Please contact perspy@hcs.harvard.edu