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Constitutional Law Keyed to Paulsen
Rosenberger v. Rector & Visitors of the University of Virginia
Citation:
515 U.S. 819 (1995)Facts
The University of Virginia established a Student Activities Fund (SAF) supported by mandatory student fees of $14 per semester to fund various student publications and activities. Wide Awake Productions, a Contracted Independent Organization, published “Wide Awake: A Christian Perspective at the University of Virginia,” which offered Christian viewpoints on personal and community issues and encouraged students to consider a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The publication contained articles on various topics including racism, pregnancy, stress, and prayer, all from an explicitly Christian perspective, with each page marked by a cross. WAP requested $5,862 from the SAF to pay printing costs, but the University denied the request because Wide Awake was deemed a “religious activity” that “primarily promotes or manifests a particular belief in or about a deity or an ultimate reality.” During the 1990-1991 academic year, 118 of 135 applicant organizations received SAF funding, including 15 student media groups, but WAP was excluded solely based on its religious editorial viewpoint.
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