The Daily Oklahoman reports this morning that Southwestern Oklahoma State University officials say they have a policy banning the placement Christmas and other religious decorations on public areas of the campus.
The newspaper said university spokesman Brian Adler explained that employees were asked to keep public areas of the campus free religious decor because not all students celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday.
The Oklahoman also quoted SWOSU president John Hayes saying “the university attempted to prevent the appearance as a state agency of endorsing any particular religion.”
Adler added, according to The Oklahoman, that “there’s no ban on Christmas” and “it was blown way out of proportion.”
UPDATE: SWOSU head, Liberty Counsel discuss written guidelines
Southwestern Oklahoma State University John Hayes said in a telephone interview this morning that he talked earlier today with Matt Staver of Liberty Counsel about how the university can develop written guidelines for its existing policy governing religious displays on the campus.
“We don’t have any written guidelines now, but Matt tells me the court cases are pretty clear that when you do have something like a nativity scene on public property, like on City Hall, you also have to have some secular items with it,” said John Hayes, SWOSU’s president. Staver promised to provide Hayes with materials on court cases on the issue that would be useful in writing guidelines for the school’s existing policy, the SWOSU official said.
Hayes said his university doesn’t have “a new policy, there has just been a big mis-understanding. One of the offices told somebody they couldn’t do something and it was over-emphasized.” An employee had placed a snowman in a public area of an office that said “Merry Christmas,” according to Hayes. The snowman was then moved to a different area, he said.
