After several weeks of controversy, UNI Students for Life has received permission from UNI President Mark Nook to form a student organization.

UNI Students for Life, an affiliate of the national pro-life group Students for Life, appealed to Nook last week after the Northern Iowa Student Government (NISG) Senate and Supreme Court both denied their application to become a student organization.

In a message released to campus on Monday afternoon, Nook stated that he had reviewed the case thoroughly before making his final decision.

“In my capacity as president, I have exercised my responsibility to review decisions by the NISG Supreme Court outlined in university policy,” Nook wrote. “Today–following a careful review of all documents, materials, and relevant policies, executive orders, regulations, and laws–I have notified UNI Students for Life and the Northern Iowa Student Government that registration status has been granted to UNI Students for Life.”

Nook explained that, after reviewing the group’s documents, he had come to the decision that “there is no evidence that this organization is operating outside of its rights guaranteed under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.”

“At UNI, we are committed to the learning and success of every student,” he added. “That means we help our students understand their rights and responsibilities, and we affirm their ability to thoughtfully and respectfully advocate for reasonable and effective solutions.”

The president’s full letter outlining the basis to grant the appeal to UNI Students for Life may be found at https://president.uni.edu/sites/default/files/nisg_appeal_letter_0.pdf. 

The NI will follow up on this story for Thursday’s print edition.