The ISU coordinator for the largest academic internship organization in the United States said she has “absolutely never” experienced problems with the organization discriminating against homosexuals, despite the allegations in a recent lawsuit.

The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars works with more than 850 colleges and universities nationwide. The program annually places 2,000 to 3,000 interns, including about five to six Iowa State students, in the District of Columbia.

The lawsuit stems from allegations by former Washington Center employee David Halpern.

Halpern said he was fired on the basis of his objection to the program’s refusal to place a student with Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., who is openly gay.

The student attended Calvin College, a Christian university in Grand Rapids, Mich. A faculty advisor at the university said he didn’t wish to put a student in a “homosexual environment,” even though the student stated his interest was gay rights. The Washington Center then assigned the student to another internship.

Halpern, who had declared his orientation to his supervisors one month earlier, was fired due to “departmental reorganization” the day after he protested the decision, according to a statement from Halpern’s attorney, Shannon Micah Salb of the Bethesda, Md., law firm, Lippman & Semsker.

Despite the Washington Center’s claim that Halpern was laid off due to reorganization, the law firm representing Halpern said it appears no one else in the department lost their jobs, and in fact, new staffers were hired shortly after Halpern was laid off.

In a statement responding to Halpern’s allegations, The Washington Center said his case is “completely without merit.”

The Washington Center cited the continued employment and promotion of an openly lesbian senior manager of institutional relations and the placement of a diverse body of students in a diverse amount of programs.

In the statement, Washington Center officials said, “The Washington Center has always been aggressive in our efforts to promote diversity in all forms.”

Todd Herriott, adviser for the Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, Transgender and Ally Alliance at Iowa State, said he is not surprised by any lawsuits alleging discrimination against homosexuals.

“It’s unfortunate, but it’s just another example of the way in which society discriminates against gays,” said Herriott, coordinator of ISU Disability Resources.

Herriott said discrimination against gays is institutionalized in America, and examples of such discrimination exist not only in Washington, but in “our own backyard.”

Herriott said he thinks gays are treated as “second-class citizens” and said he doesn’t foresee a change in the near future.

Beverly Madden, the ISU coordinator for The Washington Center program, said she feels the lawsuit is a “nonissue.” Madden, director of career planning and placement services, said because the alleged discrimination involved a different campus, ISU students should not be discouraged from applying to the program.

“[The lawsuit] has nothing to do with Iowa State,” Madden said. “We have no concerns with The Washington Center in any of our relations.”

Madden said she is a strong supporter of the Washington Center program and believes it to be effective in furthering students’ career opportunities.