For the first time in the high school’s history, a group of Christian students has founded a Christian Students Union (CSU). With a small Christian community at GDS, senior Shanwai Lin and juniors Lohman Sun, John Morsberger and Caitlin Mohr thought it was important to create a shared space for learning about the religion they practice.
Originally founded as an affinity group, the CSU heads met with associate director of diversity, equity and inclusion Guyton Mathews and decided that it was better to be classified as a club because they are open to all community members, regardless of their religious affiliation. In interviews with the Bit, the four heads each said that they still want to be an affinity group.
“Typically, affinity groups have been used for marginalized communities,” Mathews said.
Additionally, Mathews noted that affinity group members must speak from the “I” perspective, meaning that those present at affinity meetings must identify with that specific group. Clubs such as Boys Leading Boys or Women in STEM, are open to anyone regardless of identity. Currently, the Christian Students Union is open to any member of the student body, regardless of their religious faith.
He added that because members aren’t part of one specific identity — you don’t have to be Christian to attend — it would qualify as a club and not an affinity group.
Morsberger said the heads wanted to make the club available to any denomination of Christianity. “We want to include all denominations of Christianity. Not just Catholicism and Protestantism but also Orthodox and Baptist,” Sun said.
Twelve people attended the club’s first meeting on Sept. 11. At their first meeting, the group discussed Christian nationalism and future plans for the club. The CSU heads plan on doing community service work and attending local churches in the Tenleytown neighborhood.
“He [Mathews] said in the meeting that Christianity isn’t a marginalized group in America, that we can’t be an affinity group because it’s not a marginalized religion,” Mohr said.
“There’s no reason they can’t be an affinity group,” Mathews said. Any decision about becoming an affinity group would be made by the CSU heads in conjunction with Mathews. He added that he would not determine whether or not a group is considered marginalized; that would be based on whether students of that identifier feel marginalized at GDS. “I can’t speak on how somebody feels,” Mathews said.
In an interview with the Bit, Mathews outlined the process for approving affinity groups. “We have to look at the historical context of an identifier and make that decision from there,” he said. “We would also hear about the student experience that is happening at GDS, which can also factor in.”
Lin said that he is aware that Christians are not marginalized but he thinks all identities should be able to become affinity groups, regardless of whether or not they’re marginalized.
Mathews told the Bit that he was open to the CSU becoming an affinity group but would want to have further conversations with the heads to determine whether Christians are a marginalized group. “Would being a Christian student qualify as a marginalized identity? It depends, I can’t speak on how somebody else feels,” Mathews said.
“We started this club because we both like and actively practice Christianity,” Morsberger said. Sun and Morsberger also wanted to make a space where Christians at GDS could connect with each other.
Sophomore Vivienne Quintenz, who attended the first meeting, said that her Christian identity is important to her and that she was interested in leading the club in the future.