By Laura Mueller-Soppart, News Staff
A Northeastern atheist student group known as NU Free Thought Society said it has waited for official university recognition for the past year and a half, but university officials say after two attempts from the group, they haven’t tried a third time for recognition.
In fall 2008, the group requested official recognition from the Office of Student Activities to function with all the resources granted to other organizations.
Their original name was the Student Atheists at Northeastern (SANE).
Director of Communications Renata Nyul said the Office of Student Activities gave them preliminary approval to begin working with the Student Government Association (SGA).
“Once they got the preliminary approval from Student Activities, they elected to use the acronym SANE while they were working with SGA on the construction of their constitution. When they presented their idea to the Student Affairs Board, the students denied the group based on the acronym and its connotation,” said Nyul.
The Student Activities Board is composed of students from throughout the university that make final recommendations on student organization recognition.
The club’s former president, Andrew Groleau, said the atheist group members took the recommendations under consideration and reapplied for university recognition in Fall 2009 with the new name, NU Free Thought Society.
“I submitted all the proper paper work over a year ago with an amended constitution indicating our name change. After many attempts to even begin dialogue with Student Activities, we have gotten no where,” said Groleau.
The Student Activities Center has not received any paperwork from the NU Free Thought Society, Nyul said.
The Student Activities Center has declined to comment on the status of the application.
“It has gotten to a ridiculous point,” said Nick Loek, current President of the NU Free Thought Society. “I hate to say it, but we are giving up. We can function without their recognition.”
Being recognized by the university allows student groups to receive funds from the Student Activities Fee, book classrooms, host and advertise events on campus, attend student activities fairs and have representation in SGA.
“We intend to continue being a part of campus with events like ‘Ask an Atheist Night’ and attend events with prominent speakers, however, these expenses are being covered from out of our pockets,” Loek said.
According to Nyul, the club received approval to formally organize and meet from the Office of Spiritual Life and was given guidelines by the office as to how to not offend others and to be sensitive to other religions.
Director of Spiritual Life, Shelli Jankowski-Smith, said the Spiritual Center does not have any connection with SANE.
“The Spiritual Center has no jurisdiction over the recognition of the group by the Student Activities Office because they are not categorized as a religious or spiritual group,” said Jankowski.
There are many religious and spiritual groups on campus that are recognized by the university, such as the Catholic Student Association, the Islamic Society of NU and the Hillel.
“I do not understand why it would be a problem. The Student Activities Board should not have an issue with this group, especially with its new name. There is a Pagan Student Association; it seems as though Northeastern does not usually discriminate against any groups,” said Brother Branden Frank, a staff member at the Catholic Center at Northeastern.
Groleau expressed concern that perhaps that there is a bias when granting student groups recognition.
“I could tell when we first proposed the idea there was immediate apprehension, there are certainly religiously-biased people in the high echelons of the university,” said Groleau.
“Considering the number of religious groups on campus, we have just a clear right to exist in the same capacity as they do,” said Loek.
–News staff Lauren DiTullio contributed to this story.
