SCHOOL INSISTS IT IS APPROPRIATELY REGULATING CAMPUS “SOLICITATIONS”
Officials at Clemson University are disputing allegations that school officials banned prayer on campus.
According to an email uncovered by the Tiger Town Observer – a student-run news source – Clemson vice president Mark Land insisted the school is merely enforcing its right to regulate on-campus “solicitation.”
“Last week, an individual not affiliated with Clemson was on campus inviting others to pray with him via a sign he posted on campus grounds,” Land’s email noted. “It has been inaccurately reported that Clemson prohibited this individual from praying on campus.”
According to Land, “Constitutional law does not make all areas of the Clemson campuses open to the public.”
“Clemson has the right, and a legal obligation, to govern use of its facilities and space to ensure safety and to facilitate an effective learning environment,” Land wrote. “Groups and persons not affiliated with the university who desire to hold events, solicit or invite interaction with students or post signage are required to follow the law and university policies, and use our publicly available spaces.”
Whatever its motivation or rationalization, Clemson’s decision has sparked controversy – as well as a planned protest.
It’s also more than a little bit ironic.
After all, Clemson’s football program – currently ranked No. 2 in the nation – has been consistently targeted by secular humanists for head coach Dabo Swinney‘s overt embrace of Christianity.