H 23°, L 4° | Tomorrow: 
H 22°, L 6°Once again, state legislators and the national media have turned their attention to the UW System. This time, their fiery gaze has zeroed in on UW-Eau Claire.
Over the summer, RAs who led Bible studies during their off-hours were contacted by Associate Director of Housing and Residence Life Deborah Newman and informed that they are not permitted to hold the Bible studies in their dorm rooms. The decision has been furiously condemned by numerous Wisconsin legislators and the Philadelphia-based Foundation for Individual Rights in Education.
For all the attention given to Eau Claire, they are not the only institution with this kind of restriction. Many, including the Madison campus, have a similar rule.
We strongly disagree with this policy.
We feel that the decision to ban religious and political activities limits the free expression and association rights of resident assistants. RAs are, first and foremost, students of the university and as such should enjoy all the benefits of being a student.
The policy puts an unfair burden upon this particular subset of students and treats them as if they were full employees of the university — all this despite Supreme Court rulings clarifying that students do not surrender their rights when they accept an institutional stipend, as resident assistants do.
Furthermore, this policy is detrimental to the educational mission of a great university. Part of the experience of being a student is the chance to be exposed to a wide variety of belief systems, to experiment and to cast aside ideas that do not fit. By prohibiting RAs from acting on their views, the university blocks an avenue of exploration for many residents.
We believe the UW System is best served by allowing the greatest number of voices to be heard. Making a few students temporarily "uncomfortable" is no reason to stop the free flow of ideas.
However, knowing that some ideas and beliefs may make residents pause, RAs should make every effort to ensure that their residents are comfortable and that they feel free to talk to the RA despite religious or ideological differences.
It incumbent on the UW System to respect the free exchange of ideas, but RAs must also respect those around them and not inadvertently force their ideas on residents. It's a fine line, but one that's worth walking.
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It is really sad how fascist our country and universities are becoming towards Christians. I will bet my life that if this RA was not a Christian, but was Jewish, Muslim, a Buddhist, etc… that the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire would never have interferred with his Bible study classes in the dorms. It is only Christians, like myself, who are subject to such bigotted acts of relgious discrimination. The whole root of this issue is how the Anti-Christian movement has succeeded over the last 50 years in convincing judeges and certain citizens in this country that the Founding Fathers intended for their to be no mention of God, Christ, or religion at all in the Public sector. It is also sad that the Anti-Christian movement and Liberal Left has succeeded in convincing the American public that the words “Separation of Church and State” actually appear in the Constitution. It appears nowhere in the First Amendment and was quoted by Thomas Jefferson back in the late 1700s. If anyone ever reads the literature where the phrase appears, it will become quickly apparent that his intention was to make the point that it is important to keep the State out of religion, not religion out of the State. This whole issue is becoming sad, namely that I can’t seem to find one retailer that has any marketing that contains the words “Merry Christmas” in them. Funny, because without the birth of Christ, this whole time of year would have no significance whatsoever. There is a way to stop and reverse this Anti-Christian movement. First, we need to get rid of activist judges that are making decisions based on their hatred for religion, instead of accurately interpreting the Constitution. Next, the Christians of this nation, who make up 85% of this population, need to rise up and make the point that they will no longer tolerate this discrimination. It is as simple as that.
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I agree with most of what you have posted, however, Winter Solstice is the reason that Christmas occurs when it does. Christ was not born on Dec. 25th. The pagan rituals of burning candles on trees in Germany as an example predate the establishment of the Catholic church and in converting the Germans many pagan rituals were co-opted to make the conversion of the common folks go a little easier.
As for a business not saying Merry Christmas I beleive they are making an economic decision. Most Christmas shoppers are not selecting stores that say Merry Christmas over those that say Happy Holidays. It is safer to say Happy Holidays if the $$$ for Christmas shopping still comes to the store along with the dollars of those shopping for other holidays that happen in Dec.
Such is life. But don’t forget that Santa and the Easter Bunny have very little to do with Relegion and have everything to do with the Pagan rituals found in Western Europe.