Haven Herrin, co-director of the Equality Ride and coordinator of the BYU stop, said she understood a fifth student, who marched with the group at BYU but did not participate in the die-in, was under review for a possible honor code violation.

Jackson confirmed that and BYU's Jenkins said five students who participated were under review.

Herrin said the results of the review will carry weight beyond the fate of five student careers at BYU.

"Whatever stand BYU takes will more clearly define where the university stands," she said. "Many of the students I spoke to are not clear on BYU's stance regarding the treatment of gay people or of the church's policy. This will probably be a defining moment for them."

Jenkins expressed surprise at Herrin's statement.

"I was there when they were mingling amongst our students and overheard conversations and our students explained our honor code very accurately," Jenkins said.

Soulforce alleged wrongly in a press release after the BYU arrests that BYU does not allow gay, lesbian, transgender or bisexual students to enroll. The honor code does not ban those students, but bans sexual activity outside marriage and advocacy of a gay lifestyle.

"The honor code is directed toward behavior, not orientation," Jenkins said.

Soulforce activists were arrested a total of 99 times during the five-week Equality Ride, which stopped at 19 Christian colleges and universities or military academies and at a conference of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities.

Arrests were made at six schools — BYU, Rev. Jerry Falwell's Liberty University, Rev. Pat Robertson's Regent University, Oral Roberts University and two military academies, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.

The Equality Ride cost approximately $250,000, Herrin said. The group is still trying to raise the last $50,000. Part of the money will pay for fines for those arrested, including those of the BYU students.

Fines have averaged about $225 in the six cities where arrests were made, Herrin said, and the group likely will accept the Provo offer.

None of the Riders or those who were arrested with them spent any time in jail. Herrin said the toughest legal punishment so far is in Virginia, where Ride co-director Jacob Reitan and adviser Bill Carpenter appear ready to accept offers of six-month suspended sentences for their roles in the protest at Liberty University.

Soulforce was founded in 1999 by Mel White, a ghostwriter for evangelists Falwell and Robertson before publicly declaring he was gay.

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E-mail: twalch@desnews.com