UW-Madison's Roman Catholic Foundation student group sued the university again Monday, claiming administrators violated a previous settlement and continue to oust the group for its religious nature.
Being a Christian shouldn't make you a second-class citizen on a college campus, but that is exactly what's happening time and time again at the University of Wisconsin,"" David French, a lawyer for the Alliance Defense Fund, RCF's legal representative, said in a statement.
The federal suit asks the university to reimburse $39,000 for past expenses the group says were part of previously-approved General Student Services Fund grant, and punitive damages for violating students' free speech and religion rights.
RCF has $6,000 in outstanding bills with companies, according to the complaint. Without payment the group may have to call on its student members to pay the bills.
This complaint follows a November 2006 suit in which RCF said the university unfairly discriminated the group for its faith in relation to the distribution of segregated student fees, a sum every student must pay next to tuition.
The two settled in May when UW-Madison Chancellor John Wiley approved the group's 2007 GSSF budget of $253,000 if RCF agreed to not seek student fee funding for ""masses, weddings, funerals,"" according to the complaint.
The university also agreed to review future RCF budgets regardless of religious affiliation and treat it like any other registered student organization.
However, RCF said administration violated this settlement and non-discrimination laws in a series of meetings and e-mails this summer.
In July, the university told RCF student fees could not fund ""worship"" activities - such as the printing of Lenten booklets, retreat expenses and a drum for RCF's band - due to their religious nature and hefty price tag, according to documents obtained by ADF.
Wiley classified student fees as ""state funds,"" unable to be used for ""prayer, worship, proselytizing, and inculcation of values,"" and suggested RCF reorganize itself like Hillel, a UW-Madison Jewish group.
At this point, the university stands behind its actions.
""UW-Madison has always treated RCF in the same manner as any other religious student organization. We believe this latest claim is baseless,"" said university spokesperson John Lucas.
