Constitutional rights of religious students on public college campuses outlined in new document

As the school year begins, a legal advocacy group is advising religious students of their constitutional rights on public university campuses.

When a Mormon acting student asked to change obscenities in her class assignment, her professors told her that she would either need to to change her views or find another school.

When an instructor in a Bay Area university complained about overhearing a prayer offered by a student on behalf of a sick teacher, the college issued a notice to suspend the student.

When a student refused to follow a communications professor's requirement to write the name of Jesus and stomp on it, his university told him not to return to class and charged him with a violation of the code of conduct.

Public university students who want to take their faith seriously sometimes face opposition on campus. In a 4-page pamphlet released this morning, The Constitution on Campus: Rights Every Public University Student Should Know They Have, the Pacific Justice Institute describes 12 specific rights that college students have in the context of real cases.

In each of the cases above, it sometimes took a court to affirm that the students had these rights, and the students ultimately prevailed.

Among the rights described are "The Right for Student Publications to Receive Equal Treatment," "The Right to Not Participate in Offensive Assignments," and "The Right to Choose a Roommate."

The pamphlet is available online from the Pacific Justice Institute, which also provides assistance for students who are experiencing discrimination on campus because of their religious beliefs.

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The Constitution on Campus: Rights Every Public University Student Should Know They Have