This week, American River College students will be asked to recall nine student leaders who endorsed a state ballot measure making same-sex marriage illegal, sending the suburban Sacramento campus into an uproar.

In politics, a recall usually marks the end of the story. In this instance, the brouhaha over Proposition 8 and recall vote likely only mark a chapter break in an ongoing battle between a group of politicized Christian fundamentalists and the campus's left-of-center faction, both sides say.

The recall vote, targeting nine of the 15-member Student Association, will be held Tuesday and Wednesday at ARC's main campus and Natomas satellite campus. The results are expected to be announced by Friday.

"It's ripped my campus apart," said Chuck Stevens, one of six student representatives not up for recall. "I've never seen my school in such disarray."

Over a few months, a group of students – many with roots in the former Soviet Union – went from outsiders to a power-wielding majority on the campus student council.

The ARC struggle gained attention a year ago with the Christian Civilization Club's campus observance of Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week.

"It caused a near riot," said Nancy Dziuba, one of the leading voices of the recall effort.

Lead by conservative activist David Horowitz, scores of students or activists used the week to raise critical questions about the Islamic faith.

The student group's aggressive approach included a large sign calling Muhammad, the chief prophet and central figure of the Islamic religion, a pedophile and a racist, said Yuri Popko, one of the Christian Civilization Club's leaders.

It never came to blows, but angry Muslim students, joined by others, ripped down the signs, and heated words were exchanged, according to reports in the campus newspaper and Dziuba.

"A lot of people felt it was too aggressive," Popko said.

Popko said he didn't personally agree with the approach, but added that he doesn't feel overly repentant.

"We're not afraid to speak the truth," Popko said. "Sometimes the truth hurts."

In the wake of disputed Islamic awareness week, the Christian Civilization Club's faculty adviser resigned, some say under pressure. Unable to find a replacement, the group could no longer function as a campus organization.

Popko and his crew responded by finding campus rules allowing off-campus activists to set up information booths at designated "free speech" areas on campus. They also got politically engaged.

"The only way to protect our First Amendment rights … was to have representation on student government," Popko said.

In the last election, the group ran a slate of nine candidates.

"We have been whipped out in the last few elections," said Dziuba, a former Student Association representative.

Turnout matters: In past elections, just 1 percent of the ARC student body has voted. Only a few hundred students voted in the last election.

Of the 37,500 students enrolled at ARC, the state's largest community college, nearly 4,000 are of Slavic descent, said ARC spokesman Stephen Peithman. Many are religious refugees from the former Soviet Union.

Joan McTeague, another former campus leader aligned with the recall effort, said some of their election success is due to off-campus forces.

While the Christian club occupies the spotlight in the Proposition 8 vote and subsequent recall campaign, there is a strong supporting cast.

Three of the other student leaders up for recall are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In June, church leaders urged Mormon followers to "do what they can" to support Proposition 8.

Student Association Vice President Blaze Jeppesen, who authored the measure, declined to talk to The Bee about what role, if any, his LDS faith played in his decision to bring the hot-button issue to campus.

Association President Jacob Johnson, who also is a Mormon, said since he was conducting the meetings, he remained impartial. He said he didn't try to influence the council and didn't vote on the issue.

But Johnson said his faith is important to him and he supports Proposition 8.

His sister Heather Johnson supported the campus resolution and is on the recall list.

Neither side was ready to predict the outcome of the student vote.

All sides predict a higher-than-normal turnout.

Another question is what happens after.

On a recent afternoon on campus, distrust between campus factions was obvious as student leaders targeted for recall traded accusations and rhetoric with the council's former president in the roughly 10-by-10-foot student association office.

The stated grounds for the recall aren't limited to the Proposition 8 vote – but it is the highlight. Opponents are also angry that the association decreased the amount of student funds given to campus clubs.

Whether the recall is successful, the questions remain: Can these two groups get along? Will the vote lead to a resolution?

McTeague and Dziuba say leading members of the disbanded Christian Civilization Club refuse to compromise.

"These are individuals that don't want to be part of the community," Dziuba said. "They want to ... dictate behavior."

Popko, who with his friends was on campus recently to offer $20 to students who could pass their "Good Person" test, sees it differently.

"Ultimately, the truth will win," he said. "The truth is on our side."

Call The Bee's Ed Fletcher, (916) 321-1269.