Iowa State University’s president announced on Thursday that the athletics department would be allowed to engage the services of a chaplain — or a “life-skills assistant,” as the post was euphemistically titled — as long as the counselor was a volunteer, did not favor one faith over others, did not promote religion over nonreligion, and did not make use of any state or university funds, according to today’s Des Moines Register.
The department’s plan to appoint such a counselor drew criticism from more than 100 Iowa State professors, who declared in a petition that the post would violate the constitutional ban on state establishments of religion. In a written statement, the university’s president, Gregory L. Geoffroy, said that the counselor’s work would be closely watched, and that athletes would be questioned about it. —Andrew Mytelka
