Yeshiva University sparked a backlash from students for suspending all student club activities until further notice after the U.S. Supreme Court issued a 5-4 ruling that requires the university to recognize an LGBT club.
In an email sent Friday by Yeshiva’s Office of Student Life, the New York City-based university said it would “hold off on all undergraduate club activities” while it assesses the impact of the Supreme Court’s Wednesday ruling, which requires the university to recognize the Yeshiva University Pride Alliance while legal challenges play out.
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“The university will hold off on all undergraduate club activities while it immediately takes steps to follow the roadmap provided by the U.S. Supreme Court to protect YU’s religious freedom,” the university said in part, according to an email obtained by campus newspaper the Commentator.
In a follow-up statement provided to the Washington Examiner, the university said, “Our lawyers submitted the briefs on Friday as directed by the U.S. Supreme Court,” anticipating “a quick conclusion in the courts and the start of clubs soon.”
The Commentator reported that further action is being considered by the university that could forcibly dissolve all student groups. The immediate impact of the announced suspension of activities was not clear, as the email “did not specify who was involved in this decision, what will be affected and how long the decision will be in effect,” according to the campus newspaper.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, declined to stay a lower court ruling that required the university to recognize the YU Pride Alliance, ordering the university to exhaust its appeals at the state level before appealing to the nation’s highest court.
The unsigned order was accompanied by a dissent authored by Justice Samuel Alito and joined by Justices Clarence Thomas, Amy Coney Barrett, and Neil Gorsuch that noted the university was likely to succeed in its appeal if the case returned to the Supreme Court.
“At least four of us are likely to vote to grant certiorari if Yeshiva’s First Amendment arguments are rejected on appeal, and Yeshiva would likely win if its case came before us,” Alito wrote. “A State’s imposition of its own mandatory interpretation of scripture is a shocking development that calls out for review. The Free Exercise Clause protects the ability of religious schools to educate in accordance with their faith.”
The university’s decision to suspend student club activities received a cold reception from students, several of whom expressed their dismay to the campus newspaper.
“Clubs are an essential aspect of the YU experience and putting them on hold interferes with all of the positive opportunities and experiences that students gain from clubs,” one student told the outlet.
Baruch Lerman, the president of the Yeshiva Student Union, said that he would “[insist] that the student activities fees that are charged on every student’s tuition bill be prorated for the extent of the time that student activities are suspended” if the university follows through with the announced suspension.
https://twitter.com/AmitaiMiller/status/1570856421440499712?s=20&t=ipEP9ckUVjwkDfdZgndaxQ
Tai Miller, the president of the YU Pride Alliance, blasted the university’s announcement on Twitter, comparing it to efforts in Jackson, Mississippi, to prevent racial integration during the civil rights era.
https://twitter.com/AmitaiMiller/status/1570856678672957440?s=20&t=ipEP9ckUVjwkDfdZgndaxQ
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“The YU administration’s announcement today that it will cancel all student club activities rather than accept one LGBTQ peer support group on campus is a throwback to 50 years ago … when the city of Jackson, Mississippi closed all public swimming pools rather than comply with court orders to desegregate,” Miller wrote. “The Pride Alliance seeks a safe space on campus, nothing more. By shutting down all club activities, the YU administration attempts to divide the … student body, and pit students against their LGBT peers. We are confident that YU students will see through this shameful tactic and stand together in community.”
