by Zachary Moore
special to The Current

The St. Louis Church of Christ on Campus has applied to be recognized as a student group at UM-St. Louis. As a recognized student group, they can be officially called UM-St.Louis Church of Christ on Campus. The St. Louis COC on campus is an affiliate of the Boston COC and The International COC.

After a hearing in January, Student Activities decided to investigate the group more thoroughly and will hold a second hearing later this month. Rick Blanton, director of Student Activities, said the office want to gather more research on the organization.

In 1990 the group was kicked off Washington University and St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley for their recruiting tactics. All different types of groups need to be represented on campus, Blanton said. He also said as part of the learning process, students choose from a variety of groups to decide where their interests are best suited.

"In 29 years we've only denied six or seven groups," Blanton said.

Scott Foster, acting president of the group, said that they have 10 members and are not actively seeking new recruits. Foster was not involved with the church in 1990, so he knows nothing of them being banned from other campuses. Foster said that they will ask students to Bible studies if they seem interested; otherwise, he says he is happy with its current size. He also does not want to litter the campus with fliers, Foster said, because fraternities have too many.

"We just want a place to meet and have refreshments," Foster said.