Back in October, College Insurrection reported on a decision by Tufts University to ban a student Christian group for requiring their leaders to be Christians.

Jordan Lorence of Speak Up University blog is now reporting that Tufts has reversed their position with some caveats.

Tufts University Relents, Allows Campus Christian Groups to Require Members to Believe in Christianity

Good news from Tufts in the battle for the rights of student organizations on campus. The Boston Globe is reporting   that Tufts University has reversed its earlier decision to require the student chapter of Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship to permit students who do not believe in the Christian faith to join. Here is a report on the earlier decision by Tufts student government to impose that requirement on Inter-Varsity.

Tufts is now treating the religious groups the same as all other groups on campus.  Tufts does not require other student groups to accept students as members who disagree with the views advocated by the group.  For example,  Tufts allows feminist groups to require its members to believe in feminism, environmental groups can require its members to oppose pollution, etc.

However, the decision is not perfect.  Student religious groups will have to submit their faith requirements for membership to the University Chaplain for evaluation.   An official statement, from the Tufts Daily, states:  “The University Chaplain will now be charged with the responsibility of evaluating the legitimacy of the justification, and the TCUJ [the student judicial body that de-recognized the Tufts Christian group]  will be charged with the responsibility of ensuring plainspoken transparency.”    Again, other groups do not have to submit their requirements that members agree with the beliefs advocated by the organization to any Tufts official for evaluation. Tufts should trust student religious groups with the same freedom it grants to other student organizations.