Eight members of the U of C Campus Pro Life Club (CPL) are facing individual closed-door hearings without legal representation for non-academic misconduct charges in relation to their latest pro-life display, they said yesterday.
The CPL was told they failed to comply with campus security when they refused to turn their signs inwards, says CPL president Alanna Campbell.
However, written notice of the apparent violation was never received by the club, she says.
“We hope (the University) will recognize that we haven’t broken any rules,” says Campbell.
“We want them to reconsider the disciplinary action.”
This is the ninth time the CPL’s pro-life display, the “Genocide Awareness Project,” has been exhibited on campus since 2006. Comparing abortion to events such as the Holocaust and the Rwandan genocide, the display is often met with strong emotion.
According to a Student’s Union (SU) spokesperson, the University does not have jurisdiction to disband the club.
They do have the power to charge the students on an individual basis, with the possible outcome of expulsion.
“The (CPL) has never broken any of our club bylaws,” says the SU spokesperson. “As long as they continue to comply, we will sanction them.”
