© Bebeto Matthews/AP
Critical Race Theory is an academic movement transpiring at schools across the country teaching children the U.S. is fundamentally racist, and that they must view every social interaction and person in terms of race or color in order to be "antiracist."
On Monday, FIRE called on Rutgers University to rescind a requirement that forces student groups to host certain ideological events in order to be eligible for funding.
"The Rutgers student government is holding student group funding hostage until students commit to a particular ideology," said FIRE Program Officer Zach Greenberg in a statement to Breitbart News.
"Students shouldn't be forced to choose between their club's funding and their own convictions," Greenberg added.
The Student Bar Association (SBA) of Rutgers' Camden campus added a section to its constitution, titled, "Student Organizations Fostering Diversity and Inclusion," which mandates that any group wishing to receive more than $250 in university funding must "plan at least one (1) event that addresses their chosen topics through the lens of Critical Race Theory, diversity and inclusion, or cultural competency."
For context, FIRE pointed out that 19 out of 22 student groups requested more than $250 last fall.
The organization added that as a public university, "Rutgers is bound by the First Amendment, which precludes the school from discriminating against student groups based on viewpoint."
"The Rutgers SBA is therefore constitutionally required to distribute funds in a viewpoint-neutral manner," FIRE continued. "The SBA's unconstitutional funding stipulation is anything but viewpoint-neutral
"Organizations should be free to request funding for events through the 'lens' of their choice," the organization added. "The SBA is welcome to plan its own events through the 'lens' of critical race theory, but it can't compel student orgs to promote critical race theory as a condition of receiving funding."
Rutgers President Jonathan Holloway
"While Rutgers purports to support diversity and inclusion, this requirement will exclude differing opinions and hinder the expression of diverse perspectives," Greenberg said. "If Rutgers administrators want to further diversity and inclusion on their campus, they can start by not discriminating against their student groups on the basis of viewpoint."
Rutgers is the only school where this type of quarrel is taking place. In Virginia, parents are fighting back against the Loudoun County School Board for seeking to implement "racist" Critical Race Theory in schools.
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, on Parler at @alana, and on Instagram
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