Academia’s hostility to intellectual diversity suffers a courtroom setback

The university’s policy pertaining to Registered Student Organizations (RSOs) forbids “differences in the treatment of persons because of race, creed, color, religion,” etc., “or any other classification that deprives the person of consideration as an individual.” But the university also believes, or used to believe, that students should have the right to “organize and associate with like-minded students.” So, all RSOs may “exercise free choice of members on the basis of their merits as individuals” and “any individual who subscribes to the goals and beliefs of a student organization may participate in and become a member of the organization.” As the 8th Circuit notes, “This is not an ‘all-comers policy,’ which would require RSOs to accept any student as a member or leader of the group.”