A student was expelled from Grace University for having a same-sex relationship according to the Huffington Post.
Danielle Powell was in her first lesbian relationship when she was forced out of college and instructed to pay $6,300 for a revoked scholarship in order to have her credits transferred to another institution. Powell was a semester away from graduating with a bachelor's degree. Powell's family did not know of her sexual orientation. She was forced to come out due to her explosion.
Grace University is a religious university on Omaha, Nebraska. The school claims Powell's explosion was true to the university's student handbook and was done after a judiciary hearing was held.
"Any student involved in sexually immoral behavior, including premarital sex, adultery, and homosexual acts, is at minimum placed on University probation and may be subject to a Judiciary Hearing," Michael James, the executive vice president at Grace University told the Huffington Post.
James could not grant the Huffington Post further details because of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy act which prohibits the discussion of student cases.
According to Powell, during the judicial hearing she was asked why she started a same-sex relationship and asked her if she was "remorseful." She claims she was treated "like a sexual predator."
Powell was told she could move forward as a Grace University student if she participated in a "restoration program" which would be counseled and attend church for her actions. The student agreed to the terms but eventually decided to "readmit" because she still favored women.
"They were doing a witch hunt; calling around to see if I was in a same sex-relationship," Powell said. "College was always kind of one of those things I never thought was an option for me because of my financial background. It's something I've invested too much in to not finish."
Click here for the petition started against the university to allow Powell to be exempt from making the $6,300 payment. According to the Huffington Post, the petition currently has over 10,000 signatures.
