Ten Commandments displays at University of Arkansas spark backlash, scholarship withdrawal – KTLO
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By: Staff
University officials began hanging about 500 posters earlier this month to comply with Act 573 of 2025, which requires public schools, colleges and government buildings to display a “historical representation” of the Ten Commandments. The posters were donated by the Christian group Counteract USA.
Alumnus Andy Kinslow, a supporter of the separation of church and state, said the move was “the tipping point” that made him withdraw two scholarships he had endowed at the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design. Kinslow said he was already frustrated after being told one of his diversity-based scholarships needed to be revised to comply with state and federal law.
“Why would I give money to an institution that isn’t fighting this law when there are other places that would appreciate it?” Kinslow said.
A federal judge has temporarily blocked enforcement of the law in several public school districts, but no lawsuit has yet challenged its application in higher education.
University spokesperson John Thomas said installation began Oct. 13 and will continue through the fall semester. He said tampering with the posters could result in criminal or disciplinary action but noted the university “respects that some students and employees disagree with the required postings.”
Supporters of Act 573 argue the Ten Commandments are a historical document that influenced U.S. law. Opponents say the displays violate the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause.
University junior Nathan Gray, who opposes the law, cited the Supreme Court’s 1980 ruling in Stone v. Graham, which found mandatory classroom displays of the Ten Commandments unconstitutional.
“It’s purely religious,” Gray said. “If they really thought it was historical, they’d post the Bill of Rights or the Constitution instead.”
Gray has organized a campus “teach-in” to discuss the issue, saying it’s about more than religion. “This is about constitutional rights,” he said. “They’re testing the waters to see how much of the First Amendment they can chip away at.”
For the original reporting from Arkansas Advocate, click here.
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