Prostrollo v. University of South Dakota
United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
507 F.2d 775 (1974)
Facts
The University of South Dakota (defendant) required all single freshman and sophomore students to live in student dormitories on campus. There were two purposes for the rule: (1) it allowed the campus to maintain a certain level of occupancy among its dormitories that helped in repayment of government bonds used to build the dormitories; and (2) it helped underclassmen take advantage of the educational atmosphere provided by on-campus living and assisted with their adjustment to college life. Two students, Prostrollo and Severson, filed a lawsuit on behalf of themselves and all other similarly situated students (plaintiffs) against the university, alleging that the university housing rule violated their rights to equal protection and privacy. The district court ruled in favor of the students, finding that the primary purpose of the rule was to ensure adequate funding to repay the government bonds used to build the dormitories, and that the rule violated equal protection because it enforced conditions upon a classification of students, i.e., freshmen and sophomores, that had no rational relationship to the rule’s purpose. The university appealed.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Lay, J.)
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