WDBJ7 Roanoke News and Weather NRV Lynchburg Danville | News7 talks exclusively with resigning President of Liberty University College Democrats

News7 talks exclusively with resigning President of Liberty University College Democrats

The man in charge of Liberty University's Democratic club says he's resigning his position and transferring to another school.

Last month, the Lynchburg university withdrew its official recognition of the club because it supported the Democratic Party's platform and candidates.

Brian Diaz sent a press release Friday night saying he was stepping down. He spoke to News7 Saturday in an exclusive interview.

Diaz said he didn't want to speak badly about LU, but wants to be a part of a school that fosters diversity.

"I think that the school needs both sides of the political sphere to be represented and represented fairly," said Diaz.

Matt Mihelic, President of the school's Student Government Association, spoke on behalf of the school and says the club's views were counter-intuitive to the mission of the school.

"The administration felt that the college democrats and who they supported did not coincide with the purposes of the university," said Mihelic.

Liberty University is a private institution and are well within their rights to remove support from the club, but Diaz says there is a bigger issue at hand.

"Whether it's right to kick off a club, there comes some moral issues," Diaz said.

Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. says the students and the university still are working out changes to the club's constitution and other issues, including the group's official name and that school could regain recognition.

Diaz is not sure where he will attend school in the fall.

Here's the press release from Brian Diaz:

"My time as President of Liberty University College Democrats has been a great and enjoyable experience.

I learned how to work together with my counterparts, the College Republicans, I also learned the asset that is patience, and I learned a little bit about something called trust.

Throughout my term as President I have spent numerous days and hours working to make a difference on the Liberty University campus.

I established a Faith caucus within the Virginia Young Democrats, a caucus of which I now chair. I worked closely with a number of campaigns, candidates, and issue based groups to bring parts of the democratic platform to the students at Liberty University.

Our club received the "Up and Coming club of the Year" award while I was President, as well.

Although I have put in a tremendous amount of work this past year, I believe that based on the dismissal of Maria Childress as our club sponsor, as well as an email from the administration to me stating that, "You are distorting the truth, and you know it. You have no credibility with me" forces me to resign as club President and look for other educational opportunities by the means of transferring to a new institution.

I do not wish to speak badly about the Liberty; I only wish to be apart of an institution that fosters diversity within its student body. I am deeply saddened by this decision but I feel that with the present administration the Liberty University College Democrats cannot be effective.

I hope that I can transfer to an institution this coming fall that will continue to help me develop my education, bipartisanship, and leadership skills. I will be applying to a number of schools including Virginia Commonwealth University, Randolph College, and a number of other universities across the Commonwealth.

I wish all the best to the Liberty University College Democrats, and I hope that this situation will not hinder anyone but will encourage political involvement, and standing up to what youth believe in."