Liberty University bans College Democrats

Liberty University, the ultra-conservative university founded by the late Reverend Jerry Falwell (the guy who pointed out that one of the Teletubbies was gay), has drawn a lot of ire in their recent decision to ban the College Democrats on campus as CNN reports.

According to the Lynchburg News & Advance, the school decided a week ago the organization "stood against the moral principles" held by the school and therefore could no longer be sanctioned.

Maria Childress, the staff adviser to the club, told the paper the school — which opposes abortion rights and gay marriage — had issues with the Democratic Party platform.

Childress says she was told by Mark Hine, the vice president of student affairs, that "'You can't be a Democrat and be a Christian and be a university representative.'"

In a conference call with reporters Friday, Terry McAuliffe — the former chairman of the Democratic National Committee who is running for governor of Virginia — sharply criticized the move.

While I want to be outraged, the thing to remember is that Liberty is a private university, and they're well within their rights to ban groups that stand in stark opposition to the school's principles. If it were a public university, this would be unacceptable. But it isn't. It's a privately-funded institution.

And while I applaud the Liberty Dems for fighting it, I just can't agree with those claiming that this is unfair or unjust. The right to free speech is not guaranteed at a private university.