Audrey Jarvis, a 19-year-old catholic Sonoma State University student, has filed a religious accommodation request after an unnamed supervisor ordered her to remove a cross necklace out of fear that it might offend incoming students at the school.
The incident occurred when Jarvis was working on the school's Associated Students Productions crew at a new student orientation fair on Thursday.
Hiram Sasser, a Liberty Institute attorney and the lawyer representing Jarvis, said that the supervisor told her that the chancellor had a policy and that 'she could not wear her cross necklace because it might offend others, it might make incoming students feel unwelcome, or it might cause incoming students to feel that ASP was not an organization they should join.'
"My initial reaction was one of complete shock," Jarvis said. "I was thrown for a loop."
Despite the orders, Jarvis continued to work with the necklace on. When the supervisor came across her, he asked Jarvis for the second time to either hide the cross under her shirt or remove it completely. The behavior angered her so much that she had to leave the fair early.
"I believe as a Christian woman it is my prerogative to display my faith any way I like so long as it is not harming anyone else," Jarvis said. "I was very hurt and felt as if the university's mission statement - which includes tolerance and inclusivity to all - was violated."
University spokeswoman Susan Kashack said that Sonoma State President Ruben Arminana was very upset about the incident and asked her to offer a sincere apology. Incidents like these were rare and unusual on the campus.
"Someone who works here was concerned that the cross might be off-putting to students who are coming to campus for the first time," Kashack said. "It was absolutely an inappropriate action for him to make that request of her."
California law states that 'state employees may wear crosses while they are performing their duties as long as the wearing does not interfere with the employees' duties or harm the employer's business interests.'
"It's amazing in this day of diversity and tolerance on university campuses that a university official would engage in this type of obvious religious discrimination," Sasser said. "It's unfortunate there are university officials out there who think that it's okay to tell Christians to hide their faith - but would cringe if somebody said the same thing about hiding someone's pride in whatever political or cultural affiliation they may have.
