[acb-hsp] Remediation That the Tolerant Left Won't Tolerate

[peter altschul]

Greetings:

When I was working towards my MSW, I experienced similar 
conflicts between some black and some Jewish students along the 
lines that Donna describes.  I remember some intense though 
healthy discussions that went on between the two groups which 
hopefully developed the skills of all involved.

Best, Peter



>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Donna Rose" <wild-rose at sbcglobal.net
>To: "Discussion list for ACB human service professionals" 
<acb-hsp at acb.org
>Date sent: Tue, 11 Oct 2011 14:21:51 -0400
>Subject: Re: [acb-hsp] Remediation That the Tolerant Left Won't 
Tolerate

>Hi,

>Here in Michigan we were under the impression that the social 
work student
>in question had refused to do this client's initial assessment.  
I believe
>it would be important to do an assessment prior to making a 
decision to
>refer the case to another clinician.  If this info I have is 
true, I wonder
>how the student knew in advance the person she was going to 
assess was gay?
>Personally I believe if this student intends on working in the 
general
>public as a social worker, and not solely with those of her own 
faith, she
>is in big trouble.  Seldom do we know who we will be assessing 
next.  I
>believe she has pigeon holed herself to working with a very 
limited number
>of clients, and therein lies the conflict for Eastern Michigan.  
However,
>she has the right to pigeon hole herself and should be allowed to 
graduate,
>but social work ethics won't be served well and neither will the 
clients she
>will serve unless they completely fit within her values system.  
This needs
>to be explained to her.  Perhaps it would have been more 
beneficial for her
>to attend a college or university which embraced her faith and 
could find
>her a position within the constraints of her value system.  When 
I attended
>U of M here in Michigan, we had Black Muslim students who blamed 
the Jewish
>students for everything wrong known to man, particularly slavery.  
They all
>had a huge argument over the flowers which would be used at 
graduation.  I
>often wonder what became of them all and why they thought they 
wanted to be
>social workers in the first place?  Some people really make you 
mad when you
>are in social work school and you are trying to learn how to 
empower people
>and they have so many unrealistic judgements about the clientele 
they will
>likely serve.  Surely there must be a better degree path for 
these
>individuals.




>Go Bravely,
>Donna Rose, LMSW
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Lisa Gorden-Cushman" <crysania at sbcglobal.net
>To: "'Discussion list for ACB human service professionals'"
><acb-hsp at acb.org
>Sent: Tuesday, October 11, 2011 1:53 PM
>Subject: Re: [acb-hsp] Remediation That the Tolerant Left Won't 
Tolerate


>> The problem with the logic about her sexual orientation being 
not
>> important
>> is that her client never had the legal right to marry, so he 
could not be
>> within her value system, even if he wanted to.

>> Best regards,
>> Lisa



>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: acb-hsp-bounces at acb.org [mailto:acb-hsp-bounces at acb.org] 
On Behalf
>> Of
>> peter altschul
>> Sent: Tuesday, October 11, 2011 7:24 AM
>> To: Acbhsp
>> Subject: [acb-hsp] Remediation That the Tolerant Left Won't 
Tolerate

>> Remediation for those the tolerant left won't tolerate
>>  David Cortman
>>  In January 2009, Julea Ward, who is a Christian, was a graduate
>> student in the counseling program at Eastern Michigan 
University.
>> She was nearing the end of the program and had accumulated a 
3.91
>> GPA.  Then she was expelled.
>>  Why? Well, EMU asked her to counsel a client in a manner that
>> would have violated her Biblically-based faith and values.
>> Following standard profession practice, she asked her 
supervising
>> professor whether it would be okay to reassign the client to a
>> different counselor.  EMU expelled her from the program for
>> making this simple referral request, and because of the 
religious
>> beliefs that motivated it.
>>  Unfortunately, media reports on Ward's lawsuit often claim that
>> EMU expelled her for refusing to counsel gay clients.  This is
>> simply untrue.  She asked for the referral because her religious
>> beliefs prevent her from providing counseling on any non-marital
>> sexual relationship.  This means Ward would raise the same 
values
>> conflict regardless of the sexual orientation of the client
>> seeking such assistance.
>>  Put simply, Ward would raise the same conflict and seek a
>> referral regardless of whether the client was homosexual and
>> seeking counseling on a non-marital sexual relationship (which 
is
>> the context in which her referral request arose) or if the 
client
>> was heterosexual and seeking counseling on a non-marital sexual
>> relationship.  The "gay animus" angle often seen in media 
reports
>> is dead wrong.
>>  It is also important to note that referrals, including those
>> based on values conflicts, are common and accepted in the
>> counseling profession.  The code of ethics for the profession
>> contains two provisions endorsing the practice of referring
>> clients.  Ward acted consistent with these provisions, and with
>> the advice of her supervising professor, by having a client
>> reassigned in a situation where she believed another counselor
>> would be better suited to meet his needs.  The profession is,
>> after all, most concerned with serving the best interests of
>> clients.  And sometimes, a client's best interests are served by
>> working with a different counselor.
>>  Rather than approving Ward's simple request to refer a single
>> client, EMU initiated disciplinary proceedings against her.  EMU
>> also informed Ward that the only way she could remain in the
>> counseling program was if she agreed to undergo a "remediation"
>> program aimed at changing her "belief system."
>>  Unsurprisingly, Ward declined the "remediation" program.  And
>> who would agree to such a thing? It is hard to imagine any
>> student agreeing to change their beliefs as a condition to
>> getting their degree.
>>  In addition to the Orwellian "remediation" program, the
>> disciplinary proceedings also involved EMU professors putting
>> Ward's religious beliefs on trial.
>>  For example, during Ward's final disciplinary hearing, Suzanne
>> Dugger, one of EMU's counseling faculty, asked Ms.  Ward whether
>> she viewed her "brand of Christianity as superior" to other
>> Christians who may disagree with her.  And Perry Francis, 
another
>> EMU faculty member, told Ward he was going to take her on a
>> btheological boutb and then directly attacked her understanding
>> and interpretation of scripture.
>>  Throughout these things, Ward remained steadfast, refusing to
>> abandon her religious convictions or violate them as a condition
>> to getting her degree.
>>  What is amazing about Ward's situation is EMU's harsh and
>> drastic reaction to her request to refer a single client.  
Rather
>> than honoring Ward's simple request (which, again, was 
consistent
>> with the professional standards regarding referral), EMU 
expelled
>> an academically stellar student and, in the process of doing so,
>> targeted and attacked the religious beliefs that motivated her
>> referral request and told her she had to change them to get her
>> degree.
>>  Now, instead of being a Christian and a graduate student at
>> EMU, Ward is but another Christian whom the tolerant left will
>> not tolerate.
>>  David Cortman serves as senior legal counsel with the Alliance
>> Defense Fund at its Atlanta Regional Service Center in Georgia,
>> where he heads litigation efforts to defend and reclaim the 
First
>> Amendment rights of public school students across the nation.
>> Cortman joined ADF in 2005, and is admitted to the bar in
>> Georgia, Florida, and the District of Columbia.  He has 
practiced
>> law since 1996 and graduated magna cum laude from the Regent
>> University School of Law, where he earned his J.D.
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