Day of reckoning: A year of debate over nondiscrimination and religious freedom will culminate on Tuesday

Tensions are heightening between the university and religious organizations over the enforcement of the , as groups opposing the policy increase public attacks on Vanderbilt's administration ahead of Tuesday's town hall.

A group calling themselves has launched a full-scale attack campaign against Vanderbilt's administration, with a taking the university to task for what it deems as a policy specifically targeting religious student organizations.

The ad, which is on multiple radio stations in Nashville, accuses the university's "top brass" of "bullying" established religious groups into "accepting members who do not fit with their beliefs." The group also accuses the university of "wasting" alumni donations "espousing political correctness."

Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs Beth Fortune told The Hustler the university is aware of the ad campaign, adding that the university's policies allow all students to be eligible for membership and leadership in registered student organizations.

"We have great trust in our students' ability to choose their own leaders and are not trying to dictate otherwise," Fortune said.

The group behind the ad is backed by , a pending 501(c)(4) social welfare organization that aligns itself with Tea Party organizations to support conservative causes.

Another national organization, the , addressed an to Chancellor Nicholas Zeppos, expressing their disappointment in Vanderbilt for "abandoning America's pluralistic tradition by banning religious and political student groups from making leadership decisions based on their religious or political beliefs."

The letter, sent on Jan. 27, poses several hypothetical questions to university officials exploring the ramifications of the application of the nondiscrimination policy.

FIRE, a nonprofit group founded in 1999 and focused on civil liberties in academia in the United States, to the university in September about its concern with the nondiscrimination policy, but says it received no response.

Animosity towards the university from opposition groups only grew last week, when Vanderbilt Divinity School Dean James Hudnut-Beumler a request from the Christian Legal Society to be allotted five to 10 minutes at the town hall to present the position of several religious groups on campus. In response to CLS, Hudnut-Beumler, the moderator of the town hall, said he welcomed any member of the community to ask questions from the floor.

Justin Gunter, a second-year law student and president of CLS at Vanderbilt, said he appreciates the university's effort to foster discussion on the issues, but he doesn't think that idea is obtainable without both sides given an equal opportunity to present their case.

"I fear that it will be difficult to achieve the Chancellor's goal of ‘supporting diversity of thought and opinion' when only one position - that of the university administration - is represented," Gunter said in a statement to The Hustler. "A sincere town hall meeting would allow both sides to clearly present their position - showing that both positions have merit - and trust the university community to make a decision."

The university began receiving negative national attention regarding its enforcement of the nondiscrimination in September 2011, when Fox News Channel ran a exploring the controversy.

In October 2011, 23 members of the Congressional Prayer Caucus to Chancellor Nicholas Zeppos, urging him to allow religious groups to freely choose their leaders. Among the signatures were Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Rep. Diane Black, R-Tenn.

In November 2011, George Will, a syndicated conservative columnist for The Washington Post, criticized Vanderbilt's enforcement of the nondiscrimination policy in a column titled

Despite the criticism, the university has remained consistent in its message. Chancellor Zeppos articulated that message in a Jan. 20 sent to the Vanderbilt community through email.

"As an institution of higher education, Vanderbilt values above all intellectual freedom that supports open inquiry, equal opportunity, compassion and excellence in all endeavors," Zeppos wrote. "We are committed to making our campus a welcoming environment for all, and we are dedicated to encouraging and supporting diversity of thought and opinion among our students, faculty and staff."

University officials will hold a town hall meeting tomorrow night to address the ongoing tension between the school's nondiscrimination policy and religious freedom. The meeting will take place from 6:15 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. in Furman Hall Room 114. It is open to Vanderbilt students, faculty and staff.