When I first came to Vanguard University, I was shocked that they did not have a pro-life group or similar student organization, which compelled me to start one myself. After some thought and prayer, I gathered approximately 10 interested students and a professor who agreed to be an advisor before filling out all the paperwork for an official Students for Life of America group in early September. I had everything I needed to get started on campus to officially advocate for preborn lives and serve vulnerable families — everything but a rubber stamp from my school administration. As it turns out, this is the hardest thing to get when you’re pro-life.  

A denial email came two days later, saying our rejection was because “VU Students for Life would be considered to be organized around an ideologically driven social issue.” Yes, my ideology that life is sacred — which ultimately comes from my Christian worldview — was driving my passion to serve women and children in need. What was wrong with that? I quickly replied, asking if I could appeal the decision. Members of the school administration and student government responded to my email several days later, saying the group wasn’t subject for appeal as it went against their policy of having no “recognition of clubs with ideologically driven missions.”  

This confused and frustrated me. Weren’t we all supposed to be living out “ideologically driven missions” as Christians shining light in a fallen world? Wasn’t that what my Christian university was supposed to be preparing us for?  I realized this would be a much longer process than I had anticipated, but I wasn’t going to let it die. Preborn children’s lives depend on us — so between classes and studying, I continued to fight for what God has set before me. 

I emailed Vanguard University President Beals, asking for a meeting to discuss the group denial. In response, Vice President Amanda Lebrecht asked to meet with me first. This took place in early October and included Lebrecht, the student government president, my vice president for the group, and me. During the meeting, the same reason for our rejection was repeated. I enquired about their definition of “ideological,” to which the vice president responded thatthere were no written definitions of what met the terms or standards of what ideological, religious, or political were. Instead, we were encouraged to pursue our mission with a pastor, other university departments, or operateindividually/as a national chapter (which SFLA doesn’t do). The twist was having zero benefits of an official organization, including “funding, advertising on campus and booking a room for events.” 

When we emphasized how service-based our group was meant to be (running diaper drives and baby bottle campaigns, spreading awareness on local pregnancy resource centers, etc.), Lebrecht claimed this was different from what we had described. Despite the clarification, this didn’t have an impact on our status. Finally, a major reason highlighted as to why the group was denied was that the president and student government’s new model was seeking to avoid “students creating an identity around a conviction.” What about being a Christian university, though?   

In mid-October, I met with both Beals and Lebrecht, and he confirmed that we were officially prohibited from approved group status due to our ideological nature… even though he acknowledged it stemmed from Christian values.While he claimed to be “personally pro-life,” he said it was an “unfortunate but necessary” denial to prevent any “polarizing” groups from undermining the goals of the school. The goal of the school was “to focus on the core purpose of education and transformation at Vanguard.” Apparently, the twin goals of peacefully encouraging others to understand that everyone is valuable because they are made in the image of God and transforming lives in need arediametrically opposed to the school’s core purpose. Our other “options” were reiterated, and we were told that word of mouth can be a powerful alternative to advertising. 

Perhaps word of mouth can also help the Vanguard administration rethink its decision — and remind them that just being a Christian is polarizing enough. In many countries, Christians are killed for their faith. Fortunately, this country grants us the privilege and the duty to live out our Christian convictions in the public square … which is why I won’t give up. 

We currently have around 30 people in a group chat who’d like to participate with the VU Students for Life now, and the SFLA legal team has sent the administration a letter, explaining why they need to reconsider. This whole process has been intimidating, but this mission is an important one. With God’s direction and SFLA’s help, I plan to continue being a voice for the voiceless and a helping hand for families in need.