SAVANNAH, Ga. — An evangelical Christian campus group that was expelled from Savannah State University, Savannah, Ga., is in a legal battle with the college over the question of whether the practice of foot washing can be considered hazing.
On Aug. 24, a federal judge denied efforts by the Georgia school to have the entire case dismissed.
The student group Commissioned II Love was recognized as an official organization in 2003, but it was later suspended and then expelled in 2006 after some students complained to university police that its members engaged in “practices that are not unlike (that) of a cult,” such as “foot washings” and “baptisms,” a court document states.
“Christian groups can’t be treated as second-class citizens on campus,” said Joseph Martins, an attorney with the Alliance Defense Fund’s Center for Academic Freedom, which has sued the school on behalf of the group and its officers. “What’s happened here is Savannah State University, which is a public university, has basically kicked off (the group) simply because they’ve been exercising their First Amendment rights.”
A campus-hearing officer ruled that there was a “cause of concern” about some of the activities of the group, which was charged with harassment and hazing. University officials declined to comment on the suit.
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