ACRA discusses amending bylaws
A proposed amendment to the Association of Campus Religious Advisors bylaws would remove the rule that ACRA member organizations cannot have their own Summer Welcome table, the group said at a meeting Thursday.
ACRA, a group that represents religious student organizations, will vote on whether or not to amend the bylaws at their April 21 meeting.
When ACRA amended their bylaws last year, they decided an ACRA Summer Welcome table would represent all member organizations at the activities fair. As a result of the amendment, the Mizzou Baptist Student Union left ACRA in order to have their own Summer Welcome table.
“I respect ACRA’s choice,” Mizzou BSU Director Jerry Carmichael said at the meeting. “I know we’d be very open to being part of ACRA, but not at the cost of a potential downside to our ministry, especially for new students. That’s huge.”
Veritas Co-director Kermit Summerall said member organizations should not be limited to the ACRA table.
“I feel like if the spiritual component of students’ lives is so huge and important, we want as much access as possible for students, instead of narrowing it down to one point,” Summerall said.
JoAnn Jorgovan, associate campus minister for the St. Thomas More Newman Center, said she would like to see a religion area with multiple tables for religious student organizations, but she had concerns about space availability.
ACRA will meet with New Student Programs Senior Coordinator David Rielley next week to discuss space availability in the Summer Welcome activities fair.
ACRA also discussed amending the bylaws to require member organizations to provide an ACRA representative for at least three Summer Welcome sessions, instead of the previously required single session.
Representatives from the Multicultural Center, Wesley Campus Ministry, Newman Center, Chi Alpha, Mizzou BSU, The Rock, Veritas and Campus Lutheran attended Thursday’s meeting.