We recently covered the story of Tufts University banning Tufts Christian Fellowship because its leaders were required to adhere to “basic biblical truths of Christianity.”

This action has triggered concerns from faith leaders across the country.  In The Boston Globe. Grand Rabbi Y. A. Korff of the City of Boston Office of the Chaplain complains about this action and expresses concern about the implications for the future of American campus culture.

RE “Group’s faith rule stirs clash at Tufts” (Page A1, Nov. 13): A policy that prohibits campus organizations from maintaining a membership only of individuals who are in accord with the very name and purpose of that organization is an example of political correctness run amok.

There is enormous benefit and value, within the environment of an open, nondiscriminatory, and diverse university campus, in allowing individuals of like mind, or like faith, to meet, gather, discuss, interact, build, and develop their outlook and present it to others. While such organizations should certainly feel free to choose to be open to all, it does not make sense to strictly require that a women’s support group be open to men, that a Christian group be open to non-Christians, or that a group for seniors be open to juniors or freshmen. There is nothing discriminatory about it — quite the contrary.

Thankfully, we have moved beyond the old concept of the melting pot to an America that values diversity and encourages us to uphold and maintain our unique individual heritage, traditions, customs, and ceremonies. To require campus organizations that represent various viewpoints, cultures, or faiths to adhere to a melting-pot philosophy is self-defeating for an educational institution and risks undermining the very purpose of campus organizations and the educational and social value they bring to a university.