2008 Woodie Awards
Student Government Association Senator seeks funding for campus religious group
Josh Dombroskie
News | 9/19/07
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If the Student Government Association provides funding for a proposed Campus Crusade for Christ retreat, it will be the first time the SGA has given any funding to a religious organization on campus.
A bill proposed, which calls for the allocation of $2,224.40 to CRU for their annual fall retreat, will be introduced on Oct. 2 and voted on by the SGA the same day.
Funding religious organizations has been a touchy subject for the SGA in the past, but the senator who is introducing the bill, John Eubank, a CRU member, believes it's time to start.
"It's definitely way past time the SGA started to fund religious organizations," Eubank said. "This group needs funding for an event they are holding and it's time to push the policy and get things rolling."
A resolution created by Eubank would have the SGA support the immediate funding of all religious organizations on campus. Towson administrators are currently researching that resolution because of the legal implications involved.
"I think that the CRU bill was actually a statement more than an SGA resolution," SGA president Jenny Haley said. "He obviously supports religious organizations and he is frustrated that the other resolution is taking so long."
Though the bill has not received much support by senators in the SGA so far, it is sure to bring about more debate on the funding of campus religious groups.
"Right now the chances of it passing are very slim," Eubank said. "Basically the majority of the senate is against the whole idea of supporting religious groups."
In the bylaws of the University System of Maryland, each college, university or institution can set its own policy about funding campus organizations.
"There's really no reason why they can't support it, there's a lot of opposition to it but no reasons for the opposition," Eubank said.
This is the first time a bill has actually been introduced by a senator to fund a religious organization on campus and Haley said that as far as she knows there has never been any discussion about the issue.
A bill proposed, which calls for the allocation of $2,224.40 to CRU for their annual fall retreat, will be introduced on Oct. 2 and voted on by the SGA the same day.
Funding religious organizations has been a touchy subject for the SGA in the past, but the senator who is introducing the bill, John Eubank, a CRU member, believes it's time to start.
"It's definitely way past time the SGA started to fund religious organizations," Eubank said. "This group needs funding for an event they are holding and it's time to push the policy and get things rolling."
A resolution created by Eubank would have the SGA support the immediate funding of all religious organizations on campus. Towson administrators are currently researching that resolution because of the legal implications involved.
"I think that the CRU bill was actually a statement more than an SGA resolution," SGA president Jenny Haley said. "He obviously supports religious organizations and he is frustrated that the other resolution is taking so long."
Though the bill has not received much support by senators in the SGA so far, it is sure to bring about more debate on the funding of campus religious groups.
"Right now the chances of it passing are very slim," Eubank said. "Basically the majority of the senate is against the whole idea of supporting religious groups."
In the bylaws of the University System of Maryland, each college, university or institution can set its own policy about funding campus organizations.
"There's really no reason why they can't support it, there's a lot of opposition to it but no reasons for the opposition," Eubank said.
This is the first time a bill has actually been introduced by a senator to fund a religious organization on campus and Haley said that as far as she knows there has never been any discussion about the issue.
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