[James]

The Freedom of Association Act protects your Rights and basically reaffirms the Bill of Rights.

A lot of the college's power over you is ignorance (yours and theirs), and perspective.

You are not their to accomodate the personal preferences of the administrators, learn your rights and assert them.

Public institutions open themselves to civil rights violations by limiting your association, private institutions may have a bit more leeway BUT the law applies to ANY institution that receives any types of federal funding. Trust me, almost all private institutions do.

So if the institution doesn't want to "recognize" you which is their term, not a legal definition: You should still be able to request and receive space as well as other considerations.

IF the administration chooses expulsion or some other type of retaliation on students that choose to join the organization of their choice they open themselves to liability.

I recomend you contact the ACLU and talk to someone knowledgeable at some length.

Also, for everyone, the right of people to assert unquestioned authority over you and yours only exists so long as you are both ignorant of your rights, and fearful of asserting them.