The past few weeks have seen controversy erupt over UTM’s booking of the band Sonicflood, which played last night in the Student Life Center.

The band played songs from their new CD, This Generation, which their Web site says is a “call to this generation … to be what we’re made to be: worshippers of God.”

The controversy started when Adam Francis, a senior philosophy major, started the Facebook group: “Why is UTM using my money to book a Christian band?”

Francis said he did not get interested in the concert until he noticed that the Student Activities Council was sponsoring the event.

“I got onto their (Sonicflood’s) Web site and found that one of their beliefs is that ‘Jesus Christ is God’s only provision for salvation and all people without personal faith in him are lost and will spend eternity in hell.’ That’s not the kind of thing I want my student activities fee being spent on,” Francis said.

Francis went on to question the constitutionality of the move to sponsor the event. SAC, which collects a mandatory per semester fee from all students, spent $10,000 to bring Sonicflood to UTM.

The leadership of SAC defended their decision to have the group play citing that they have brought in groups, musical acts and other forms of entertainment without preference to religious preference or ideology.

“Why should we limit ourselves to only secular entertainment?” said Amber Niblock, SAC Entertainment Chair. “When Sonicflood is going to be up there, there’s not going to be a giant UT seal on there that says we’re promoting this and we want you to convert to Christianity. Actually, you don’t even have to go. It’s not required.”

However, the issue is not whether it is OK for a religious group to play in a public place; it is okay, said Kevin Bay, a senior philosophy major who attended the Campus Crossfire. The issue is that SAC is paying for a religious group to play. Bay cited part of the 1st amendment to the constitution: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.

Bay says that government, in this case SAC, can not prohibit a band from playing in a public venue based on their religion or lack thereof, but at the same time they can not endorse a band based on their religion or lack thereof.

Student Government Association President James Orr, who encouraged campus ministries to ask SAC to sponsor Sonicflood said, “I think that the University and the SAC is endorsing entertainment. They’re not endorsing a religion, they’re not forcing anyone to come. So no, I don’t think that any constitutional rights are being violated because it’s entertainment and they’re not promoting a religion.”

Orr went on to say that he encourages student organizations to get involved with SAC, SGA and Homecoming, which is apperently how this situation came into being. He said he encouraged campus ministries to go to SAC with their idea to bring Sonicflood to UTM.

Orr said he encourages all students to go see Sonicflood, “I’ll be going to see them.”