St. Edward’s University has notified an organization that advocates for the rights of gays and lesbians that it will not be allowed to participate in an upcoming nonprofit internship fair because it does not fit in with the university’s Catholic principles.

The university declined a request from Equality Texas to recruit interns at the fair, which is scheduled for the morning of Sept. 15 in Mabee Ballroom. The group was notified of the university’s decision on Aug. 31 in an e-mail from Assistant Director of Campus Ministry Lou Serna.

“In reviewing the mission of Equality Texas, it has come to our attention that promoting your organization and volunteer opportunities will be in direct conflict with the mission of St. Edward’s University,” Serna said in the e-mail.

The university’s decision became public Thursday when St. Edward’s alumna Lindsay Marsh wrote about the university’s rejection of Equality Texas in a blog post on the group’s website.

“There are gay and lesbian faculty. There are gay and lesbian students,” said Marsh, who graduated in 2006 and worked for Equality Texas from 2008 to 2010. “I am embarrassed that I graduated from this institution.”

Marsh added that the university should not be surprised if alumni stop donating because of the rejection.

Chuck Smith, deputy director of Equality Texas, also released a statement Friday questioning the university’s decision.

“We do not view our missions as being in conflict with the university’s Holy Cross mission ‘to deliver a personalized, transformative educational experience in a diverse and supportive community,'” Smith’s statement said.

University spokeswoman Mischelle Diaz initially said Friday that Equality Texas, in addition to being at odds with the Catholic church, was a for-profit organization and therefore could not participate in the non-profit internship fair.

However, Equality Texas is indeed a two-component tax-exempt non-profit organization, according to its website.

One branch is a 501(c)(4) non-profit, meaning it can engage in political activities like lobbying. The second branch is the educational Equality Texas Foundation, which is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, an Internal Revenue Service code reserved primarily for educational, religious, scientific and charitable groups.

Donations to a 501(c)(3) organization are tax deductible while 501(c)(4) organizations are not.

When asked for clarification, Diaz said there had been some confusion on the non-profit designation. Whatever the case, Diaz said the university still believed that the organization’s mission statement was at odds with Catholic doctrine.

“As a Catholic University, St. Edward’s cannot be expected to endorse any organization that may advocate on issues that are inconsistent with Catholic Church teachings,” Diaz’s statement said.

Diaz also noted that the university endorses a LGBT student organization on campus that works with Campus Ministry to ensure that the group does not conflict with the university’s Catholic mission.

There will be approximately 35 organizations at the university’s non-profit fair. Diaz said she could not provide a full list of organizations because Serna, who has that information, is out of town.

Diaz said that she knows of six organizations that will be at the fair: Catholic Charities of Central Texas, The Capital Area Food Bank, Meals on Wheels, Foundation Communities, Austin Partners in Education and The Care Communities.

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