[This is part of a series of posts on Liberty University's student handbook, “The Liberty Way,” which governs what students can say, do, read, and watch – both on and off campus – and sets out a regimen of reprimands and fines for violators] 

Identification Cards

When new students/faculty/staff arrive at Liberty University, they are photographed and sent a LibertyOne Card. […]

 

The LibertyOne Card must be carried at all times and produced when requested by University personnel. This should be done in a timely and courteous manner. LibertyOne Card holders are subject to disciplinary action for the misuse of any identification card.

Students desiring to leave earlier than the scheduled breaks must obtain written permission.

 

Out of the Residence Hall Overnight
Any time a resident student plans to be out of the residence hall overnight, it is imperative that he/she sign out on the overnight sign-out sheet.

 

Room Checks
Residence hall rooms are to be kept neat and clean at all times. The following will be checked on a regular basis:

• Bed must be made
• Carpet must be vacuumed
• Trash must be emptied
• Sink and mirror must be clean
• Dresser tops and other stands dusted and in order
• All personal belongings organized and in place

Liberty University expects its commuters to live above reproach in their private residences, as well as in the local community. In matters such as prompt payment of debt and relations with the community as a whole, the University exhorts that commuters, single and married, maintain exemplary conduct. […] (University personnel may periodically visit the private residence of off campus students to assist in resolving off campus problems and to ensure compliance to University regulations.)

Liberty University regulations and policies are in effect at all times, including semester breaks and summer.

 

Vacation/Breaks

All students are expected to uphold the standards set by the University whether on or off campus. This includes weekends, all fall, spring, summer, and Christmas breaks. Any behavior considered a dismissal offense, as stated in The Liberty Way handbook, which occurs during these times, may jeopardize a person's status as a student.

Marriage

Students under the age of 21 are encouraged to obtain permission from parents before getting married. Premarital counseling is available and may be arranged by contacting any Student Development office or the Spiritual Life Office. Married students are not permitted to live in the residence halls.

 

Student Employment

In maintaining a reputation in the marketplace consistent with the philosophy of Liberty University, employment will not be permitted where a student (as a major, active part of his/her job) is required to violate the policies and principles of the University. Any questions regarding employment at Liberty University or within the community may be directed to any Student Affairs Dean.

On today's episode of Liberty Counsel's "Faith and Freedom" radio program, Mat Staver reacted to a recent Oklahoma Supreme Court decision striking down a proposed "personhood" amendment to the state constitution by comparing the effort to pass such laws to Martin Luther King, Jr's famous "Letter from Birmingham Jail."

Liberty Counsel recently formed a partnership with Personhood USA to essentially serve as the legal arm of the effort to pass laws all over the nation that "declare that human life begins at conception."  The effort to pass such laws has caused rifts in the anti-abortion movement between those pushing the radical measures and other groups that prefer to take a more incremental approach to outlawing abortion, prompting Staver to directly compare the "personhood" movement to King's crusade for civil rights:

But it goes back, somewhat, to Martin Luther King, Jr's. "Letter from the Birmingham Jail." When he was there in the Birmingham Jail and he was protesting certain injustices there in Alabama, some of the ministers said "Dr. King, it's too early to do this, why don't you allow the newly elected mayor and some of those newly elected individuals to have a chance to do what you want them to do?" And he says "you know, that's easy for you to say but we've lived under injustice for 400 years. The time has come to act now."

We've lived under absolute killing of unborn children since 1973. The time to act, I think, as long passed. It's now.

This is yet another example of the trend that Peter pointed out last month of Religious Right leaders "claiming Dr. King’s moral authority as their own, positioning themselves as inheritors of his righteous struggle, and claiming against all evidence and history that he would support their war on Planned Parenthood, their opposition to legal protections for LGBT Americans and their families, their crusades against separation of church and state, and their free market fundamentalism."

 

• “Hair and clothing styles related to counterculture (as determined by the Deans' Review Committee) are not acceptable.”

• “Swimwear is only appropriate at the swimming pool. Students are to wear appropriate casual or sport attire (as stated in ‘The Liberty Way’) going to and from the pool. Women are required to wear a one-piece suit that is in good taste. Swimsuits that are see-through/mesh, expose the midriff and/or are low in the front or back or cut high on the legs are not acceptable.”

• “Dresses and skirts should be no shorter than the top of the knee (sitting or standing). Skirt slits should be modest; open slits should be no higher than the top of the knee, closed slits should be no higher than two inches from the top of the knee. Shoulder straps should be no less than two inches wide. Anything tight, scant, backless, see-through, low in the neckline or revealing the midriff (in any position) is immodest and unacceptable.”

• “Body piercing is not permitted. Earrings and plugs are permitted in ears only.”

• “Students are expected to dress modestly for the Junior/Senior Banquet & the Minority Student Achievement Awards Banquet, as well as all formal events. Anything tight, scant, backless, see-through, low in the neckline or revealing the midriff is immodest and unacceptable. Slits should be no higher than the top of the knee. Strapless or spaghetti straps are acceptable for this event as long as the above standard is followed”

• Class Dress: “Dresses, skirts, dress pants, shirts and/or sweaters (no jeans of any color, no overalls, no Capri/cropped pants, no shorts, no sweatshirts, no writing or graphics on shirts except for discreet embroidered logos), dress, casual or tennis shoes (no flip-flops of any style)”

Students are warded that “RA’s, RD’s, Deans and others will enforce dress code and educate all students regarding what is acceptable and what is not.” Back in 2004, and perhaps more recently, the administration made a helpful presentation on female modesty. Here are some highlights:

30 Reprimands + $500.00 Fine + 30 hours Disciplinary Community Service + possible Administrative Withdrawal.  NOTE: For each accumulation of six (6) or more reprimands after 30, an additional $150 fine will be assessed.

• Abortion
• Assault/sexual assault (minimum two (2) semesters out)
• Commission/conviction of any felony
• Failure of three (3) Christian/Community Services without reconciliation
• Illegal drugs-association/possession, use/distribution (minimum two semesters out)
• Involvement with witchcraft, séances or other satanic or demonic activity
• Life-threatening behavior or language to others or oneself (immediate removal/exclusion from campus and a minimum of two semesters out)
• Non-participation/disruption/non-compliance (possible removal/exclusion from campus)
• Possession or consumption of alcoholic beverages
• Spending the night with a person of the opposite sex
• Stealing or possession of stolen property (plus financial restitution; minimum two semesters out)
• Two or more individuals of the opposite sex together in motel room
• Unauthorized possession/use of weapons

[This is part of a series of posts on Liberty University's student handbook, “The Liberty Way,” which governs what students can say, do, read, and watch – both on and off campus – and sets out a regimen of reprimands and fines for violators]

Respect While Dating/Social Behavior
All students are asked to display mature Christian behavior in social interaction. Proper respect must be shown to all individuals at all times. Harassment of any type will not be tolerated. Handholding is the only appropriate form of personal contact. Improper personal contact or other forms of public display are considered in poor taste. After dusk, students should not be alone with an individual of the opposite sex in any unlighted area such as the ball fields, parking lots, parked cars, ravine or other wooded areas, etc. This is considered improper social behavior.

 

Restricted Areas on Campus
A student may not be alone with an individual of the opposite sex in the academic classrooms or offices. Students may not enter the residence halls of the opposite sex. After dusk, a student may not be alone with an individual of the opposite sex in any unlighted area, such as the ball fields, the ravine, parking lots, parked cars, etc.

6 Reprimands + $25.00 Fine

• Attendance at a dance
• Entering entryway of opposite sex on campus or allowing the same
• Possession and/or use of tobacco

12 Reprimands + $50.00 Fine

• Entering the residence hallway of the opposite sex or allowing the same
• Students of the opposite sex visiting alone at an off-campus residence

30 Reprimands + $500.00 Fine + 30 hours Disciplinary Community Service + possible Administrative Withdrawal.  NOTE: For each accumulation of six (6) or more reprimands after 30, an additional $150 fine will be assessed.

• Possession or consumption of alcoholic beverages
• Refusal to submit to an Alco-Sensor test and/or drug test
• Spending the night with a person of the opposite sex
• Two or more individuals of the opposite sex together in motel room

As Josh noted in the previous post, Mitt Romney will be delivering the commencement address tomorrow at Liberty University, the ultra-fundamentalist university founded by the late Jerry Falwell.  But what many people may not realize is that Liberty U is also the home of some of the most militant anti-gay activists operating today, who are on staff at Liberty U while simultaneously working for the affiliated Liberty Counsel.

In fact, the two are so intertwined that Mat Staver serves as both Dean of the Liberty U Law School and Chairman of Liberty Counsel, while Rena Lindevaldsen, LU's Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Matt Barber, LU's Associate Dean for Career and Professional Development, Shawn Akers, Dean of LU's Helms School of Government, and Deryl Edwards, LU's Director of Institutional Advancement, all hold positions with Liberty Counsel as well.

For years, Liberty Counsel has been at the center of a custody case involving Lisa Miller, an "ex-gay" woman who kidnapped her daughter and fled the country rather than abide by court-ordered custody arrangements with her former partner.  Rena Lindevaldsen was Miller's attorney and even wrote a book about the saga while Liberty Counsel continues to insist that it has no knowledge of Miller's whereabouts, despite the fact that she was reportedly living at a home in Nicaragua owned by the father of an administrative assistant working for Staver at Liberty U Law School. Furthermore, Liberty U also taught a class based on the Miller case in which students were reportedly instructed that the "right" thing for a lawyer to do in a case such as this would be to counsel their client that they have an obligation to ignore the law and court orders and instead engage in "civil disobedience" in order to uphold God's law.

While Staver may be the head of Liberty Counsel with a penchant for issuing warnings that President Obama seeks to become a global dictator, his rhetoric pales in comparison to Matt Baber who, in addition to serving as an instructor at Liberty U's Law School, also happens to be one of the most viciously anti-gay bigots operating today, as demonstrated by his view that homosexuality is nothing more than “one man violently cramming his penis into another man’s lower intestine and calling it ‘love.’”

Just in recent months, Barber has said that marriage equality mocks God and desecrates the Church, declared that the Defense of Marriage Act is necessary to prevent children from becoming gay and getting AIDS, said that gay teens commit suicide because they "know that what they are doing is unnatural, is wrong, [and] immoral," proclaimed gay adoption to be "tragic," "unconscionable," and "reprehensible," and warned that gay activists are seeking to poison the minds of children and are "running interference for the pedophile movement."

But it is not just gays whom Barber attacks on a regular basis, but liberals in general, whom he claims are driven by a hatred of God and are working with radical Islamists to destroy Christianity. He has said that the Obama administration's contraception mandate was no different than being forced to kill your family and that those who support reproductive choice are literally no different than the Nazis.  In fact, Barber thinks the Left in general are nothing but a bunch of bullies who just need to be punched in the mouth.

Last year, when Romney spoke at the Values Voter Summit, he publicly called out the American Family Association's Bryan Fischer for his bigotry and declared that "poisonous language does not advance our cause."  

Will Romney have the courage this weekend to likewise take a stand against the "poisonous language" and bigotry regularly displayed by the staff at Liberty University/Liberty Counsel? 

We won't hold our breaths.

Entertainment

Liberty University encourages students to abstain from any form of entertainment that would compromise their testimony to the world and their relationship to God.

 

Movies
Liberty University has always attempted to maintain a conservative standard in its approach to the arts and entertainment. Current policy for movie viewing allows for attendance at theaters but prohibits viewing of movies rated "R", "NC-17" or "X". The penalty for viewing such movies is a reprimandable offense. It should be remembered that in no way is Liberty University endorsing the movie industry's rating system as appropriate or Christ-honoring. In addition, the Division of Student Affairs will continue teaching guidelines and principles to students related to all forms of entertainment. This would mean that many "PG-13" and some "PG" movies, although not prohibited by policy, may also be inappropriate.

Music
Philosophy, tastes and personal convictions concerning music vary greatly among our students. Liberty University endeavors to teach discernment in evaluating and selecting all music. It is Liberty's desire to maintain a music standard that is conducive to a healthy Christian atmosphere. Students should learn to choose music that honors the Savior and is in harmony with God's word. Music that is offensive (i.e., lewd lyrics, anti-Christian messages, etc.) to Liberty's Christian stand is not permitted.

12 Reprimands + $50.00 Fine

• Attendance at, possession or viewing of, an “R”, “NC-17” or “X”-rated movie
• Possession and/or viewing of sexually explicit material

4 Reprimands

(Fine is waived for the first offense; each subsequent offense is $10.00)

• Music code violation

Posters and Pictures
All posters and pictures in the residence halls should coincide with the standards and policies of the University, i.e., all posters and pictures should conform to the University's music, movie, dress and conduct standards.

[This is part of a series of posts on Liberty University's student handbook, “The Liberty Way,” which governs what students can say, do, read, and watch – both on and off campus – and sets out a regimen of reprimands and fines for violators]

Liberty University is all about freedom – the freedom to do, think and say exactly what Jerry Falwell would want you to do, think and say, and nothing else. Accordingly, students cannot participate in demonstrations, petitioning, picketing, or literature distribution on campus without the express approval of the administration. Students can also be restricted or prohibited from participating in such activities off campus if they are deemed to be in violation of the school’s principles and policies. 

Demonstrations, Petitions and Picketing

Student participation in on-campus demonstrations, petitions or picketing is prohibited unless approved by Liberty University administration. The administration may also prohibit or restrict student participation in demonstrations, petitions or picketing at places other than on campus, where such participation would contradict or otherwise compromise the principles and policies of Liberty University.

 

Distribution of Literature

Distribution of literature is permitted on campus only when prior administrative approval has been secured from the Student Life Office or University Services. Distribution of literature in the residence halls requires written approval from the Residence Life Office.

12 Reprimands + $50.00 Fine

• Participation in an unauthorized petition or demonstration

Mitt Romney will give the commencement address tomorrow at Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA. Liberty, founded in 1971 as the Lynchburg Baptist College, is best known as the pet project of televangelist Jerry Falwell. Falwell created the university as a training ground for successive leaders of the Religious Right, and the curriculum is tightly controlled to advance an uncompromising right-wing outlook. But that’s not all.

The university also has an all-encompassing code of conduct, called “The Liberty Way,” which governs what students can say, do, read, and watch – both on and off campus – and sets out a regimen of reprimands and fines for violators. 

All students shall agree to comply with the terms of the Liberty Way. The full text is made available to students after they claim their Liberty University account. 

• The First Amendment Doesn’t Apply at Liberty
• No R-Rated Movies, Un-Godly Music, or Immodest Posters at Liberty University
• No Dancing or Kissing at Liberty University
• Witchcraft and Abortion on Par with Sexual Assault and Felony Conviction at Liberty University
• Liberty University’s Guide to Female Modesty
• The Religious Right Nanny State, on View at Liberty University
• Welcome to Liberty University, Now Gives Us Your Blood and Urine Sample

During his radio program yesterday,  Bryan Fischer was adding his voice to the chorus of Right Wing outrage over President Obama's support for marriage equality, and doing so in typical Bryan Fischer manner:  by accusing Obama of lying when he said his decision was prompted, at least in part, by "members of my own staff who are in incredibly committed monogamous relationships" because, as Fischer claims, "homosexual monogamy is a myth."

And so Fischer dedicated an entire segment of his program to attacking the idea that gay couples can and do establish monogamous relationships.  But since that is something Fischer has been saying for years, it wasn't really worth posting. 

But that rant prompted Fischer to eventually set forth two simple "abiding truths" for our public policy and culture that he knows will solve a lot of our problems if embraced and acted upon: 1) homosexuality is not a benign alternative to heterosexuality and 2) Islam is not a benign alternative to Christianity: