Christian Fraternity Sues University of Florida, Claiming Discrimination

TAMPA Fla.
A Christian fraternity sued the University
of Florida on Tuesday, claiming
discrimination because the university refuses to recognize it as a registered
student group.

University officials have told Beta Upsilon Chi that it
can’t be registered as an on-campus student group because only men are allowed
to join, which amounts to sex discrimination, according to the lawsuit filed in
U.S. District Court in Gainesville.

And Beta Upsilon Chi is not allowed to join the off-campus
Greek system of fraternities and sororities because the fraternity requires its
members to be Christians, the suit said. The organization that governs the
university’s Greek system prohibits religious discrimination.

“As a Christian fraternity, (Beta Upsilon Chi) is
locked out of the UF campus,” the lawsuit said. “The only way UF will
recognize (the fraternity) is if it chooses to give up its identity as a men’s
organization or if it abandons its religious criteria for members.”

“They’re caught in a conundrum,” said Timothy J.
Tracey, one of the attorneys who filed the suit.

By not being registered as a student group, the fraternity
is deprived of benefits including access to meeting space and the ability to
advertise and recruit members on campus, the suit said.

University spokesman Steve Orlando said the school does not
comment on pending litigation.

Beta Upsilon Chi, also known as Brothers Under Christ, was
founded in 1985 and has 21 chapters nationwide. The University
of Florida chapter has eight
members and claims that the school’s failure to recognize it has hampered
recruiting efforts.

– Associated Press

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