Evangelical Group Sues College Over Foot-Washing

Savannah State University in Georgia is facing a lawsuit from the Christian campus group it expelled after the university decided the group's practice of foot-washing was a form of hazing. On Aug. 24, a federal judge denied the school's request to have the entire case dismissed.

The student group is called Commissioned II Love, and was given official-organization status by the university in 2003. It was later suspended after some students complained that the group's practices were cult-like – specifically, the foot washings and baptisms. The group was expelled in 2006.

"Christian groups can't be treated as second-class citizens on campus," Joseph Martins, an attorney with the Alliance Defense Fund's Center for Academic Freedom, told Religion News Service (RNS). The center has sued the school on behalf of the group and its officers.

Loretta Heyward, a spokeswoman for the university, told RNS: "It's an ongoing legal matter. It would be inappropriate for the university to make any comments."