The Georgia Institute of Technology settled a lawsuit with the Students for Life group this week over the university’s refusal to fund an event with Alveda King, the niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As a result of the lawsuit, the university has revised its policies to ensure that funding for student groups will be awarded in a “viewpoint-neutral” manner.
According to a report by Campus Reform, Georgia Tech settled a lawsuit with pro-life group Students for Life this week over the university’s refusal to help them arrange an event with Alveda King, the niece of Martin Luther King Jr.
Breitbart News reported in April that the student group sued Georgia Tech over its refusal to provide funding for an event with King. The university, which regularly provides funding for student events, reportedly rejected the proposal on the basis of King’s strong religious beliefs.
The university will pay the group $50,000 as part of the settlement. Additionally, the university has promised to revise its policies to ensure that student group funding is distributed in a “viewpoint neutral” manner.
In a statement, Alliance for Defending Freedom Legal Counsel Caleb Dalton claimed that the university inappropriately discriminated against King in April when they rejected the student proposal to host her on campus.
“Public universities are supposed to welcome diverse viewpoints and can’t treat some student groups worse than others simply because they disagree with what the students have to say,” Dalton said. “Georgia Tech’s previous policy allowed discrimination against Ms. King because she was accused of leading an ‘inherently religious’ life. Under such a standard, MLK himself would not be welcome on campus.
Dalton believes that the settlement will have a positive impact on discourse at Georgia Tech. “Thankfully, by changing these policies, the university is respecting our clients’ First Amendment freedoms and better living up to its duty to offer a marketplace of ideas, where diverse viewpoints should be encouraged, not shut down,” Dalton added.
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