a student can be expelled. In 2008, three members of LGBT rights group Soulforce were arrested for trying to start a protest on campus.
== Academics ==
Amidst the physical expansion, Nelson University experienced consecutive record enrollments in Fall 2007, Fall 2008, Fall 2009, and Fall 2010 reaching a milestone of 2,064.
== Athletics ==
The Nelson athletic teams are called the Lions. The university is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) since the 2013–14 academic year.
=== Accomplishments ===
The 2012–13 school year made 2013 a record-setting year for the Nelson Lions basketball team (formerly known as the SAGU Lions), with the Lions achieving the NAIA second-place championship ranking.
=== Judah the Lion ===
Influenced by Vice President George Brazell's acquisition of a four-month-old lion cub named Judah, Southwestern adopted the "Lion of Judah" as its mascot in 1963.
== Notable alumni ==
Gary Elkins …
