A Christian university said Wednesday that it is appealing a federal court decision denying state aid to its students.
Lakewood-based Colorado Christian University said the May 18 ruling by U.S. District Judge Marcia Krieger against the school in its lawsuit against the Colorado Commission on Higher Education is “blatant religious discrimination” and violates the U.S. Constitution.
“We believe that the state is violating the First and Fourteenth Amendments by penalizing students who choose to attend a faith-centered liberal arts university,” said Bill Armstrong, the school’s president and a former U.S. representative and senator from Colorado.
The education commission didn’t return an after-hours call.
The nondenominational university of about 2,000 students applied in 2003 to take part in the state’s College Opportunity Fund, which makes stipends available to Colorado undergraduate students who qualify for in-state tuition. The school filed a lawsuit in 2004 after the commission found the university to be “pervasively sectarian.” The Colorado Constitution forbids appropriations “to any denominational or sectarian institution or association.” A brief filed by the Department of Justice in support of the school says the commission’s action was unconstitutional. Federal attorneys said the state has allowed such schools as Regis University, a Jesuit school in Denver, to participate in the voucher program.
