OPINION:
When it comes to religious discrimination on college campuses, the federal government should be vigorously defending religious freedoms, not encouraging crackdowns. Sadly, the Biden-Harris administration has chosen to pursue the latter. For many Christian colleges, these policies are not just bureaucratic or technical changes; they represent a direct attack on their foundational beliefs and values. Christian colleges and Christian groups on other campuses have been faced with a web of government edicts that threaten their future and the educational opportunities for thousands of students.
While the Department of Education has used many avenues to pursue an unfair and unconstitutional student loan debt transfer scheme, they’ve also used it as an opportunity to potentially punish institutions that hold values that do not cleanly align with progressive beliefs. By altering institution eligibility criteria for federal student aid, the Biden-Harris administration risks placing Christian colleges at a significant disadvantage. If these institutions cannot meet the new requirements or face increased scrutiny, the downstream effect is likely that students may find it more difficult to afford their education at these faith-based institutions.
The Biden-Harris Department of Education’s shifting stance on accreditation may also pose a significant threat to Christian colleges because of the department’s guidance to require institutions to receive prior approval before changing accreditors. Religious institutions could receive increased scrutiny if they want to develop a new partnership with an accreditor, potentially impacting their accreditation status and, consequently, their ability to operate effectively and provide quality education.
The department has also applied rules and judgments in an uneven and unfair manner, seemingly to target schools that hold values they disagree with. In multiple cases across the country, we’ve seen a pattern develop where certain institutions are treated in a manner inconsistent compared to other institutions, and due process is thwarted. They’ve used findings from program reviews and other technical means as tools to crack down on these schools while diverging from precedent. Another tool used has been to levy unprecedented and disparate fines against Christian colleges. Ironically, many of the schools the Biden-Harris administration seems to view more favorably are the same schools with the most egregious track records when it comes to issues like antisemitism.
Unlike the Trump administration, which took measures to protect student liberties on campus through the “Improving Free Inquiry, Transparency, and Accountability at Colleges and Universities” executive order, we’ve seen a significant departure in the policies pursued by the Biden-Harris administration. New directives could pressure colleges to limit or alter how they support religious groups and student organizations that express faith-based views, undermining the foundational principle of academic freedom and the right to religious expression.
Additionally, religious groups on campuses face threats from some campus administrators. At the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, administrators denied official registration to Ratio Christi, a Christian organization that allowed non-Christians membership. Without registered status, the group was forced to operate with decreased funding, limited meeting space, and more. The administrators made this decision because Ratio Christi maintained that group leadership for a Christian organization, such as themselves, should be Christian. For most, this seems like common sense, but school administrators sought to force the group to allow non-Christians to become leaders.
Other administrators seeking to enact similar policies will be empowered to do so because the Biden-Harris Department has proposed to roll back protections for religious student organizations. This is why I have introduced the Equal Campus Access Act with Sens. James Lankford (R-Okla.) and Tim Scott (R-S.C.). Our legislation would safeguard the rights of religious groups by ensuring they are not penalized or discriminated against for adhering to their religious beliefs. This has been the longstanding and accepted standard by our federal government, but it’s become clear that religious groups and institutions are being threatened. We must not stand idly by. We must defend religious freedom and maintain ideological diversity.
These institutions and groups are dedicated to providing education that aligns with their deeply held beliefs, and they should not be forced to abandon their values. Religious institutions and groups should have the right to operate freely according to their convictions. Likewise, students should not have to decide between their education and their deeply held religious beliefs. America’s educational diversity — and the fundamental right to religious freedom — depends on it.
• Rep. Tim Walberg, the Dean of Michigan’s House delegation, is currently serving his eighth term in Congress as the representative of southern Michigan. Based on his record of legislative accomplishment, Tim holds the designation as Michigan’s most conservative member of Congress, according to the American Conservative Union’s lifetime rankings.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.