Democrats at Liberty University?

Many of you already know that Liberty University is an evangelical Christian school founded by the late Jerry Falwell. Its website boasts that it is "the largest and fastest growing Christian Evangelical university in the world" and "the largest private university in Virginia." The school's mission statement reads that its purpose is:

"To develop Christ-centered men and women with the values, knowledge, and skills essential to impact tomorrow's world. The mission is carried out for resident students through a rigorous academic program and structured social environment."

It's always interesting to learn how far-reaching the implications are when an evangelical school has a hand in structuring the social lives of its students. Recently in Ohio, a student at a fundamentalist Baptist school was suspended for attending the prom of his girlfriend's high school. According to a news story, the student's school "forbids dancing, rock music, hand-holding and kissing."

It's no surprise, then, that a private university such as Liberty would have a strict list of rules for student conduct--what is generally called "The Liberty Way." Students there are also not allowed to attend "social dances." In addition, they cannot watch R-rated movies, drink alcohol or use tobacco products, or enter the bedroom of a member of the opposite sex (except on a special designated day once a semester). According to one source, students must perform "20 hours of Christian community service every semester" and must regularly attend prayer meetings and convocation services. The Wikipedia article says of Liberty's dress code:

"In the summer of 2005, the university announced it was slightly relaxing its in-class dress code to allow flip-flops, capri pants, jeans, and other casual articles of clothing (but not shorts) to be worn in the classroom as long as the clothing did not have holes in them. Rules such as collared shirts for male students still apply."

But something that happened recently has, in the opinion of many people, further revealed the school to be anything but a bastion of liberty. The university felt obligated to shut down the local chapter of College Democrats (founded last October, before the presidential election) because, in the words of Jerry Falwell Jr., "over the last eight months, they've supported a lot of candidates that were not pro-life, not pro-family."

Translation: "We will not sanction an official university group which appears to be okay with the pro-choice opinions of others."

It's no surprise coming from an institution which attempts to control almost every other aspect of its students' private lives. Why not try and control their political activism as well?