A couple of weeks back over at The Shotgun I noted the story of Dennis Crawford, a courageous Queen's University student who challenged the university's mandatory student fee in support of the school's pro-choice Sexual Health Resource Centre (SHRC).
Crawford recently lost an appeal with the student government to allow pro-life students to opt-out of the fee.
But, in what can only be described as a stunning development, Queen's University's nortoriously leftwing Human Rights Office has ruled that pro-life students can choose to direct the 85¢ annual fee elsewhere.
According to an email I received from Crawford:
I went to talk to the Human Rights Office (HRO) ... The HRO actually agreed with me and told the AMS that they have a "duty to accomodate" students of faith. This means that the AMS is obliged, if you ask them, to re-direct your $0.85 fee from the SHRC to another part of the AMS. This is a huge victory for pro-life students on campus!! Having this decision by Human Rights come right after the JComm decision is kind of like losing the battle but winning the war. Students who are pro-life no longer have to, against their convictions, support something that is detestable to them!!
I am totally astounded by this. This is a huge victory for freedom on campus. The only downsides are that the money will go towards funding some other aspect of the student government, and that students who do not want the 85¢ going to the SHRC must go to the SHRC themselves to make the request.
Nevertheless, this could have serious ramifications for the future of mandatory student fees. Well done, Mr. Crawford, and good show, Human Rights Office!
