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In a settlement made public Friday, the university also agreed to reinstate the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and award it student fees for activities.
The group filed suit last year after UW-Superior turned down its request for funding and said it could not be recognized because its leaders must sign a statement saying they believe in the Bible and Jesus Christ.
The university said those requirements violated policies barring formally recognized groups from discriminating on the basis of religion. But the lawsuit claimed the nondiscrimination policy violated the group’s freedom of religion and association.
As part of the settlement, the university agreed to recognize the group and give it $1,564 in student fees for this school year.
The group, which hosts Bible studies and other social events, is open to all students. Only leaders must sign the statement.
The Alliance Defense Fund, the Christian legal group that represented InterVarsity and will receive the $20,000 payment, called the settlement a victory for religious freedom.
“This settlement ensures that InterVarsity can determine its standards for leadership at UW-Superior without fear of losing access to student facilities and student fee funding which all other recognized campus groups enjoy,” ADF lawyer David French said.
Kevin St. John, spokesman for the state Department of Justice, which represented the university, declined to comment on the settlement.
University spokesman Al Miller said he believed the lawsuit was rendered moot several months ago when the student government agreed to recognize the group.
The settlement, accepted by U.S. District Judge John Shabaz in Madison on Thursday, comes days after Shabaz ordered UW-Madison to stop enforcing its nondiscrimination policy against the UW-Madison Roman Catholic Foundation.
Shabaz ruled the policy would force the group to allow non-Catholics to join, which would undermine its mission of serving Catholic students. He also noted the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last year in favor of a Christian group in a similar dispute in Illinois.
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship has an evangelical mission on more than 560 college and university campuses.
“We are very happy that we can meet freely on campus once again, like all the other student organizations,” UW-Superior chapter president Nacy Hudack said. “We don’t have to worry about our future as a student organization.”
