I do not know the intricacies of the law in question.  Mr.
Brothers raises a legitimate point, and one that I am fairly
certain has been both legislated and tested in the courts.  

I doubt that tax monies directly support religious activity at
public universities.  I cannot say that with certitude, and it
is possible that I am wrong.  But at this point, I am
reasonably sure that public funds do not finance religious
activities at public universities like JMU or W&M.  

Universities do have other sources of funds, however, of which
one is monies derived from student activity fees.  These fall
under a different legal category, but I do not know the
precise reasoning as to why.  At any rate, it is permissible
to fund many kinds of student activities, including religious
ones, from student activity fees.  Again, I do not know the
constitutional reasoning as to why that is the case, but I do
know it has been legally and juridically vetted.  

Hopefully some more informed person here can comment as to the
nature and reasoning behind this distinction.

All best,
Kevin
Kevin R. Hardwick, Ph.D.
Department of History
James Madison University

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