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Students at religious college to get state scholarships

By Berny Morson, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published August 1, 2008 at 4:36 p.m.
Updated August 1, 2008 at 4:36 p.m.

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Students at Colorado Christian University will get state scholarships under a decision Friday by two Colorado agencies.

State Higher Education Director David Skaggs and Attorney General John Suthers said they will not contest a 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling reversing a state decision barring scholarships to students at the Lakewood campus.

The Colorado Commission on Higher Eduction had determined that CCU is "pervasively sectarian."

In the July 23 decision, the appeals court held that the state erred in treating CCU differently from other schools that are owned by religious groups, but which were not deemed "pervasively sectarian."

The University of Denver is a Methodist school, while Regis University is Jesuit. Students at both campuses receive state scholarships.

Naropa University in Boulder, a Buddhist school, was also deemed pervasively sectarian, but was not a party to CCU's suit.

In a press release this afternoon, higher education director David Skaggs and Attorney General John Suthers said they will not take the appeals court ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The appeals court held that Colorado cannot discriminate among religious schools, leaving open the possibility of ending scholarships to all campuses with religious affiliations.

Skaggs said there is "likely to be some attention paid to this by the legislature," but added that it's too soon to say whether lawmakers will move to end all aid to schools with religious ties or what position the higher education department would take on such a proposal.

Skaggs declined to comment on reasons for not taking the issue to the Supreme Court, saying the decision was made by the CCHE in executive session on Wednesday.

Former U.S. Sen. Bill Armstrong, the CCU president, could not be reached for comment.

Comments

  • August 1, 2008

    4:58 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Who_Me writes:

    Tough to fight that perverse, oops, pervasive, sectarian stuff.

  • August 3, 2008

    12:01 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    poppy writes:

    this guy sounds like sasquatch all right...

  • August 4, 2008

    8:33 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    BJG writes:

    This is just wrong. If you decide to go to a private school then you just pay for it. What's wrong with going to the state supported schools in Colorado?