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Exeter Uni Evangelical Christian Union takes legal action through Human Rights Act
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6232869.stm
I thought I'd add this discussion to the table, as its very close to home for me. Basically, the ECU had their Guild funds suspended because they were not compying to the guilds equal opportunities legislation. Further to that, they are the only society on campus in which not anyone can stand for election to committee, the current committee has to 'approve' people to stand. I have to say i hope they lose. These lot are always causing trouble on campus...I've been told I'm going to hell because i don't beleive before too.
Opinions?
I thought I'd add this discussion to the table, as its very close to home for me. Basically, the ECU had their Guild funds suspended because they were not compying to the guilds equal opportunities legislation. Further to that, they are the only society on campus in which not anyone can stand for election to committee, the current committee has to 'approve' people to stand. I have to say i hope they lose. These lot are always causing trouble on campus...I've been told I'm going to hell because i don't beleive before too.
Opinions?
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Comments
They generally prey on freshers in freshers week! Knocking on doors, introducing themselves, offering you a biscuit...then they'll try and talk about the wonders of Jesus. Usually Christians will sign up anyway, but they do try and grab as many people as they can.
OK, well that makes more sense, still, unless there is a history of trouble makers joining to try and disrupt the group I dont see the point in making people sign, surely by the very nature of the group people wanting to join are going to be Christian.
As for electing the new executive commitee, the old exec select a group to replace them, and present them to the rest of us, who vote. It's my understanding that a single no vote results in the entire exec being thrown out and a new selection made under consultation. Nominations are made by the members of the CU.
That does make sense, and I'm sure that works perfectly well, I would be curious as to the legal obligations that the SU is under to make sure that all can take part fully, or if it is just because they dont like the Christian group.
This sounds like one of those stories with considerably more to it than meets the eye (or at least the eye of the BBC journalist).
The of the problems The Exeter Guild (It should be Union!) have is that the Exeter ECU really control who the new committee is, people who are members can stand, but if the current committee have problems with them they won't be elected. I hear a woman isn't even allowed to be chair...though that may just be a rumour i will check up on it. All Exeter Guild societies are required to have unbiased and fair democratic elections through a STV system. The ECU are not doing this. This is one of the reasons why their account has been suspended.
I can understand kicking them out of the guild, my CU aren't members of the union, what I don't like and can't understand is the way funds that are raised by the CU are seized.
If they've been kicked out because they don't let non Christians become full members then I think that's ridiculous. I'm sure if you started looking closely at other societys then there would be plenty where you are expected to have a genuine interest / commitment to aim of that society, and if you didn't then there would be very little point in having societies.
Inclusion and equal opportunities is all well and good, as is the opportunity for people to have different faiths, beliefs and interests and meet with others who have similar mindsets.
I fail to see what the problem is with having membership of a religious group limited to people who subscribe to that faith, especially as non-membership does not limit attendance...
Its got nothing to do with H&S, its equal ops and the DDA.
As usual the decision has been brought about by the trendy anti-religious arsewipes who seem to run all students' unions and guilds, and it goes to show that the people who run students' unions have little or no interest in students who don't agree with them. And then the little arsewipes grow up into big arsewipes like Jack Straw, which explains why this Government has little or no interest in anyone who doesn't agree with them.
The amusingly named DICCU (Durham's CU) were barred from the union for not allowing non-Christians to be on the exec, but curiously enough the LGBTA and Deaf Soc did not face the same sanctions despite having the same attitude.
Probably not, but thats possitive discrimination, so thats ok.
Yeh it's like Affirmative Action in the US. Though can they prove I'm not black, I'll just say I'm an albino black.
Its just racism given a new name, a patronising rather than spiteful racism but its racism none the less.
I'd try and join if I were you, and if they dont let you in report them to the Race Relations Agency (is it agency? or is it a board?).
Commission for Racial Equality?
That would be the one.
As for signing up for the society, wouldn't they like non believers to join because it's a chance to convert them?
I think that it is good that their account is frozen and nothing to do with their beliefs. If they want to run a society, they should do it properly.
You could join LGBT
I could well be wrong, but would the society funds not come from the SU budget? We had a very similar situation with our CU very recently, and it led to all societies having their accounts frozen, and being barred from using SU premises until the constitutions were rewritten to be in line with equal ops policies.