October 21, 2020

University of Northern Iowa Student Government Rejects Students for Life Group. Labels it a "Hate Group."

photo credit: James McNellis / Flickr
The University of Northern Iowa (UNI) student government has rejected a request from pro-life students to officially register a Students for Life group on campus. After the UNI student government voted against the group's application to register, the student judiciary held a heated discussion upholding that decision.

Sophomore Sophia Schuster, who went through the process to register the Students for Life group, spoke with The Courier about the situation.

“I was absolutely floored by the (student) supreme court’s decision after we appealed it,” she said. “The charge I brought against the senate was that they rejected us not based on any policies, but that they rejected us on personal beliefs.”

A video released by the Young America's Foundation shows members of the UNI student government arguing Students for Life, which has chapters in other schools, "engages in hate speech."
Before the student court voted to uphold the government's decision, Young America's Foundation also received a response from a UNI spokesperson, who said the following:

“The University of Northern Iowa is committed to protecting our students’ First Amendment rights and is concerned that recent actions by the student government violated UNI policy by rendering a decision that was not content-neutral.  We have provided the petitioning student organization with resources and encouraged them to appeal the decision...

If the court declines to grant their petition, the student group can appeal that ruling to the university president.

UNI will not uphold a decision that violates the First Amendment and university policy.”

Schuster told The Courier that she was in the process of appealing the decision to the UNI president.

“I was absolutely floored by the (student) supreme court’s decision after we appealed it,” said Schuster. “The charge I brought against the senate was that they rejected us not based on any policies, but that they rejected us on personal beliefs.”

President of the national Students for Life organization said that legal counsel has been contacted on behalf of the UNI group.