B.C. Supreme Court upholds Christian university

LANGLEY, B.C.

British Columbia Supreme Court Justice W.H. Davies has ordered the B.C. College of Teachers to approve Trinity Western University's application for accreditation of its Teacher Education program. The decision was handed down Sept. 11 in a 54-page ruling that will make it possible for Trinity Western Teacher Education students to take their fifth and final year at the university, rather than having to transfer to another accredited university. In response to the decision, Trinity Western executive vice-president Guy Saffold said that Davies had ruled "wisely and fairly".

The main issue in the dispute was the university's community standards document. When applying for admission to Trinity Western, located in Langley, B.C., all students are required to sign a community standards ageement, which states that they will abstain from premarital sex, adultery and homosexual activity while attending the university. The BCCT contended the policy "follows discriminatory practices which are contrary to the public interest and public policy" and that graduates may be biased against homosexual students in the classroom.

Justice Davies concluded, however, that "such a premise is inherently flawed because it requires many unfounded assumptions". He noted that when the BCCT made its decision, it didn't have to guess as to whether TWU graduates were biased, as there was solid evidence before it that they were not. He also cited a lengthy report prepared by the College's own Program Approval Team, which concluded "that TWU students would be competent teachers". Davies pointed out that "since large numbers of TWU graduates are teaching in the public school system, it would have been possible to determine if there had been any incidents of intolerance." He added, "It is apparent that the [BCCT] failed to consider the evidence which was before it, for had it done so, it could not have reached the decision it did. I find the decision to have been made without any reasonable foundation."

In the evidence provided to the court, the university underlined the fact that the decision by students to sign the Trinity Western community standards agreement is voluntary, and that students who choose to attend Trinity Western generally do so because they are looking for a Christian environment in which to conduct their studies. Vice-president Saffold added, "We don't ask them about their sexuality when they apply, and we trust that people will act with integrity toward the commitment they have made to the standards of our community."

Saffold adds that there were only eight qualifications the BCCT's approval team had originally outlined for approval of TWU's program, including having sufficient library resources and an adequate number of faculty, and that students would have an opportunity to practise in public school classrooms. "We are supportive of those rulings, and we can meet all of them," Saffold said.

Trinity Western's Teacher Education program began in 1985. A proposal for the University to operate the final year of its Teacher Education program was first tabled with the B.C. College of Teachers in January, 1988. In late 1994, criteria for approving such programs were established.

More than 200 students are currently involved in Trinity Western's Teacher Education program. The 35-year-old Christian university serves over 2,500 students, and is funded entirely through tuition fees and private donations.

TWU news release

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