The University of Rochester’s student government has decided that participation in single-gender organizations is a form of “discrimination.”
The ruling from Rochester’s All-Campus Judicial Council (ACJC) applies to 37 student organizations, spanning from club sports and a cappella groups to Greek life, reported Campus Reform Tuesday.
While several student government representatives tried to exempt Greek life from the ruling, arguing the groups do not receive funding from the school’s Student Association, Rochester’s ACJC said they could still be subjected to the ruling since they use resources funded by the Student Association.
Rochester’s student government identified phrases like “any and all women” and “men of principle” as potentially violating the Friday ruling.
The president and vice president of Rochester’s Student Association insisted that the 37 impacted organizations will proceed with “normal operations” through the 2017-2018 school year. ACJC also stated that the school’s Administration and Review Committee (also student-run) will have final say on affected organizations.
“Our league is gender-specific and therefore some people cannot play in our games, but that is a matter of safety,” Catherine Yip, a representative of Rochester’s Women’s Rugby team, told The Daily Caller News Foundation Wednesday. “Rugby is separated for men and women no matter where you go because the pace, average size of players, tackling technique, and other aspects of the game are just different.”
“We are governed by a larger body – USA Rugby, and we have to follow their guidelines and rules. This is why I say that with the ruling that club sports can’t compete in gender specific leagues, rugby would not be able to exist…rather than being more inclusive, that would simply be excluding more students from their ability to enjoy the sport.”
The Daily Caller News Foundation reached out to the University of Rochester for comment, but received none in time for press.
Follow Rob Shimshock on Twitter
Connect with Rob Shimshock on Facebook
Send tips to rob@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.