SPRING ARBOR TWP., MI - A growing number of Spring Arbor University alumni are voicing their displeasure with their alma mater for seeking what they say is the right to openly discriminate against certain groups of people.

SAU Alumni for Equality has at least 100 members, a Facebook page and an online petition that says they support equality regardless of a person's sexual orientation or marital status.

SAU recently was granted an exemption from Title IX by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights based on its evidence that the law, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex for schools that receive federal funding, violates its religious beliefs as part of the Free Methodist Church.

"I think Spring Arbor is seriously alienating its future donor base," said Joel Skene, a 2007 graduate living in Asheville, N.C. "That's something they should be considering. Foregoing the forgiveness and love that Jesus talks about and excluding people that don't fit your mold doesn't seem like Spring Arbor is walking the walk."

Spring Arbor University President Brent Ellis has said the exemption was needed based on changes to Title IX and how the law now must be implemented. The exemption, he said, is necessary for the university to continue to follow the same practices and policies it has operated under for many years.

Among the changes was the inclusion of protections for transgender and gender-nonconforming students. But SAU also sought the exemption related to its policies for unwed parents, homosexual activity, premarital sex, extramarital sex, cohabitation and abortion as related to both students and staff.

"The kind of attitude behind the policies and this exemption has a negative effect on everyone," Skene said. "I'm really disappointed that Spring Arbor took extra steps to include marital status and parenthood."

While they are disappointed that Spring Arbor asked for the exemption, Skene and others said they are not surprised.

"The thing that's shocking to me is that Spring Arbor is not a seminary," said Brian LaBenne, a 2006 SAU graduate who lives in Ypsilanti. "It is a liberal arts college, and that they can get an exemption to fire or expel people of a specific group is shocking. It's totally backward thinking as far as social justice issues go. I'm embarrassed to have this school on my resume to carry around the rest of my life. I'm ashamed."

SAU Alumni for Equality members say they want the university to hear their collective displeasure over this exemption.

"This comes down to discrimination and they want to do it without responsibility," said Scott Wetenhall, a 2009 Spring Arbor graduate now living in Washington, Mo. "We would like to see them include, not exclude and show love, which is the basis of Christianity."

Not all alumni agree with this group, though. Adam Freed, a 2012 graduate living in Lansing, said he researched the changes to Title IX and thinks Spring Arbor's asking for the exemption makes a lot of sense.

"Without the changes to Title IX, this exemption would not have been necessary," he said. "Spring Arbor doesn't want to be forced to go against something that goes against its code of conduct and policy. Spring Arbor is saying we don't want to be hypocritical and that's perfectly OK with me. Spring Arbor is being courageous in standing for what it believes in and I respect that."

What Spring Arbor has done, Freed said, is no different than the rules that students and employees agree to when they come to the university.

"Once you accept those guidelines, you are expected to follow them," Freed said. "If you break them, you have to pay the consequences."

The graduates who are speaking out against the college's receipt of the exemption are doing what they were taught to do at Spring Arbor University, Ellis said.

"They are being critical participants in a contemporary world," he said.