Hope Christian Church ASU, a ministry that welcomes hundreds of students, parents and community members to worship services on the Tempe campus of Arizona State University each week, is now being investigated for allegations of stalking, hazing, and other misconduct.
Citing a 123-page complaint made against the church by 14 people last July, including eight current students and an alumnus from Tucson, the Arizona Daily Star reports that seven disciplinary charges are now pending for suspected violations of the state university system’s student code of conduct.
The charges, which cover hazing, are described as “acts of mental harm, personal degradation and embarrassment,” stalking, unauthorized entry to student housing, unauthorized use of student information, and discrimination based on gender or sexual orientation, according to the report.
Five campus clubs — Sun Devils Wear Prada, Sun Devil Survivor, Outlaw Comedy, Man Up and WOW Factor — which are each said to play a key role in helping Hope attract new members, are also facing misconduct charges. The church and clubs could lose access to campus if the charges are upheld, which would be a major blow to the ministry.
Hope Christian Church currently holds its services at Neeb Hall on the ASU Tempe Campus, which according to the Star, is booked at no cost by a student club at the university.
While formal misconduct proceedings have been launched by the university, the church maintains they have done nothing wrong and is confident that once the school hears their side of the story they will be able to address any concerns that have been raised by former members.
ASU “has yet to hear our side of the story, and we look forward to working with them to make sure they have all the facts,” Corey Vale, chairman of the church’s board of directors, told the Star.
“We’re confident that ASU will be able to determine which student complaints, if any, need to be addressed and which complaints are simply an attempt from outside detractors to promote religious discrimination and intolerance through bullying and hate speech,” he said.
Source: Christian Post | LEONARDO BLAIR
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