ICC Note: The Community College of Baltimore County is being taken to court this month after blatantly rejecting a potential students application on the basis of the students religious belief. During an interview with a five-person admissions panel Brandon Jenkens was asked “What is the most important thing to you?” to which he responded “my God.” After being rejected for admission into the radiation therapy program, Brandon inquired into why he was rejected, and received this response from the director of the program: “I understand that religion is a major part of your life and that was evident in your recommendation letters, however, this field is not the place for religion.”

4/25/2014 United States (Christian Post) – The American Center for Law and Justice is suing a Maryland community college after a student was denied admittance into a program because he said God is the most important thing in his life.

Brandon Jenkins, a prospective student in the radiation therapy program at the Community College of Baltimore County, exceeded the minimum requirements for entry into the program, but after completing his exam and interview process, he received a notice informing him that he was not selected for the fall 2013 term.

When Jenkins followed up with members of the CCBC staff to find out why he was not being admitted into the program because he wanted to reapply the next term, he was told that among the reasons why he was not selected is because his chosen field is “not the place for religion.”

During his interview process with a five-person panel, Jenkins was asked: “What is the most important thing to you?” And he replied, “My God.”

But according to ACLJ, a Washington, D.C.–based organization that focuses on defending constitutional and human rights laws worldwide, this was the only time Jenkins commented on his belief in God. The ACLJ also noted that he only did so because he was responding to a question asked by one of the CCBC representatives.

A federal lawsuit was filed Monday on Jenkins’ behalf by the ACLJ, which is asking that Jenkins be granted admission into the program, and that he be awarded damages related to the delay in his admission.

After Jenkins requested feedback from the CCBC about his being denied admittance into the program, Adrienne Dougherty, director and coordinator of radiation therapy, told Jenkins: “I understand that religion is a major part of your life and that was evident in your recommendation letters, however, this field is not the place for religion.”

She continued, “We have many patients who come to us for treatment from many different religions and some who believe in nothing at all. If you interview in the future, you may want to leave your thoughts and beliefs out of the interview process.”

ACLJ Senior Counsel David French told The Christian Post Wednesday that Dougherty’s statement to Jenkins is not only “flatly illegal, but also bigoted.” He also noted that the “college’s own lawyer said that he (Jenkins) shouldn’t wear his faith on his sleeve.”

“Under what circumstance would answering that God is the most important thing in his life mean that he would be unable to treat people from other religions or from no religion?” French asked. “That was an assumption on the college’s part and had no basis on anything Jenkins said at any point during the interview process.”

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