AUGUSTA, Ga. --- It's becoming a battle of religion versus profession, and Augusta State University is caught in the middle.
A graduate student is suing ASU, claiming the school is making her change her Christian beliefs in order to graduate.
Jennifer Keeton is getting her masters in counselor education. She says the school is making her change her christian beliefs to graduate.
Jennifer Keeton has completed one year of her Masters degree in counselor education. At the end of the first year, she was presented with a remediation plan, or courses to improve in certain areas.
That plan includes classes to improve writing and grammar skills, as well as workshops to make her more sensitive to the gay population -- something her instructors say is necessary for her to be an effective counselor.
"The school counseling faculty has decided that my views are not acceptable for me or to share with other students," she says in a video statement produced by the Alliance Defense Fund. "They have required a remediation plan in which the end result would be me altering my beliefs or being dismissed from the program."
In a letter to Keeton, program directors say that is not the case.
In the letter, associate director Mary Jane Anderson-Wiley points to what she calls Keeton's "belief that you possess a special knowledge about the way that other people should live their lives, and that others need to adopt a similar set of values."
The letter goes on to say that "the content of [Keeton's] moral or religious beliefs is not in question."
According to the remediation plan, program directors are concerned about Keeton's ability to effectively council people who are gay or lesbian, citing class papers and comments where Keeton has disagreed with the gay "lifestyle."
The letter also cites an email from Keeton in which she says: "my Christian moral views are not just about me. I think the Bible's teaching is true for all people and it shows the right way to live."
News 12 spoke with other counselors who say the those courses are part of any counselor training.
"Our goal is not to change people that we believe are behaving badly," says Dr. Sheree Gates. "Our goal is to help people with the goals they bring in to counseling."
Dr. Gates has counseled kids for more than 20 years, working in elementary, middle and high schools. She is also a member of the American Counselors Association.
"One of the most important things is that the counselor not be perceived as judgmental," she says.
"I have to be aware ahead of time what my biases are, and make sure they don't come across in my face, my expressions and my wording."
She uses the ACA code of conduct as her guide. It is the same guide required for ASU counseling students.
"Who's to say that my feelings are more valid than anyone else's feelings, or my opinions are more valid than someone else's," Dr. Gates says, adding that she agrees those beliefs should be kept private.
The letter to Keeton cites the first principal of the ACA Code of Ethics: the primary responsibility of counselors is to respect the dignity and to promote the welfare of clients."
A representative from Augusta State University says the school has not officially been served with any court papers.
The school issued the following statement:
"We cannot comment specifically on any pending litigation; however, the university does not discriminate on the basis of students' moral, religious, political or personal views or beliefs.
"The counselor education program is grounded in the core principles of the American Counseling Association and the American School Counselor Association, which defines the roles and responsibilities of professional counselors in its Code of Ethics. The Code is included in the curriculum of the counseling education program, which states that counselors in training have the same responsibility as professional counselors to understand and follow the ACA Code of Ethics."
Keeton is suing for nominal and actual damage costs, along with attorney fees.
