afterwards. She took refuge in one of the buildings until he left as he obviously meant her harm. If these things are happening, then it is accurate. Could it be because the policy might show the school in a favorable light? Second, I havent seen any evidence in this article or in Christendoms response that the accused was placed before college authorities and questioned regarding the incident. Yes! Exactly. And boy, you are right. I went there for one semester (spring 2014). Id hate to echo that ridiculous article from the Remnant, that accuses Fisher of being in league with Satan, but he was spot on with that point. Her point is that they did not do their best. And also, there were a number of bad experiences in grad school that shouldn't be neglected. Not sure you thought through what you wrote at all and how that would affect rape victims. Christendom College is a private Catholic college in Virginia. Read that section of the post again. Smith, who was then a sophomore, says she was so naive, she didnt even know to use the word rape until many months later. Are you comfortable with men being expelled if there is no convincing evidence either way, a he-said, she-said situation? That often results in rapists going free and never even getting charged for lack of evidence. Dont like it? For most of American history, the light-skinned Jesus conjured up by white congregations demanded the. Christendom College is a four-year coeducational Roman Catholic Liberal Arts College with undergraduate and graduate programs offered in locations in Front Royal and Alexandria, Virginia, Donegal, Ireland, and Rome, Italy. One day, she was sitting and waiting for a friend to come out of his dorm, and the young man who had assaulted her came out. A few weeks after I got back home, I had my last drink and Ive been sober since. ), Master of Arts (M.A. But the stubborn Irish in me determined if I left, he would win. That is not an easy thing to set up, yet the article claims that adding a sexual assault policy to the handbook is as easy as, opening a word document and writing it up: Dont rape people.'. Does the handbook have to repeat the entire criminal code? People will actually believe this ludicrous drivel. Up until that point, I considered myself fairly knowledgeable, she said. Thats pretty horrific behavior in Catholic men at a Catholic institution. We now have a formal grievance policy students can use to make a complaint against any campus community member who is not covered by the student policy (e.g. He responded by calling her a bitch and a prude, and saying, You know you liked it. She blocked his number. She has nightmares about the incident. Only when my self destructive nonsense lead to the police being called did the administrators step in and not to fix my problems but to put me back in line. You are very brave to speak up. Were charged ever filed? While not commenting on this particular scenario, it got me musing (once again) on the whole problem of sexual assault and the current #metoo movement. Fixing a problem and addressing a problem are two different things. i am beginning to wonder if it really exists or is just a figment of a perverted imagination. Its something I can share with bubble parents. Money should not stand in the way of your dreams, Those looking at Catholic colleges frequentlyask: How can I afford this education? Whenit comes to Christendom College, the realquestion families should be asking is: Howcan I afford not to attend Christendom?. Rather, it is a guide the way, the truth, and the life.[26], By refusing to accept most forms of federal funding, Christendom College is exempt from many federal guidelines concerning sex-based and other forms of discrimination (e.g., Title IX), investigations into accusations of sexual abuse, and the sharing of information about on-campus crimes. . He pushed my arms apart with his hands. New student orientation includes a session that covers sexual harassment and assault, reporting, and on-campus resources for support. Why do we have to wait for the guy to respond? This is still America. Your email address will not be published. For example, the articke states that Prof. Marshner no longer works at the school, as if he left due to this scenario. I dont wish to discredit those who are appalled by the rape epidemic and Adele Smiths case, as it is horrific matter; but there are campuses where this stuff is much more frequent, and its not because they arent Catholic in a nominal sense, nor is it because they endorse rape, but its because theres not always a clear procedure as to how to address it. The comparison between rape and public drunkenness is egregiously unfair. Most of secular culture righteously denounces rape, and praises consent. A reasonable process may not have been able to do anything about the situation, but a reasonable process still should have been pursued. But honestly what is Smith talking about when she refers to the only cafe in town?? Yet, it is offered without proof of any sort, or even a source willing to go on record. The matters of consent and power (and agency and autonomy) are at play here with parents as well as with dating relationships. This article sounds like Stephanie Meyer had a hay day, so if thats what you were going for, good job! Be a patron of the (f)arts! I must charitably assume (another term I learned there) this must have been chaste, but it still looked extremely odd. I didnt exactly lose my instinct of self-preservation, but I definitely let my guard down at the school and treated it like my home. The faculty at this school is one of the most remarkable aspects of Christendom. Just the two of us. Click here to learn more. One professor was quite emphatic than women are less rational, and when I got upset about that well, naturally he put that down to my lack of rationality, plus perhaps a dash of pride. Ive told him three times not to. The criticism is directed towards how the school handled the matter after the legal authorities failed. I went to the March for Life in DC (I was very anti-abortion ber-Catholic). I distinctly remember going back and forth with a friar who had a terminal degree in theology about whether the immaculate conception implies hard determinism and thus refutes the notion of moral responsibility and therefore Catholicism in general. My sympathies. There is a problem when Hollywood is doing a better job, and that problem deserves a discussion. You did emphasize at length with regards to the first two incidents that they were not done maliciously and you found them to be normal interactions. Inaccuracies did not have to do with Miss Smiths heartbreaking account. And what possible jurisdiction would the college have for activity that did not take place on its property? Contact Leslie Mathews by email at lmathews@christendom.edu or by phone by calling 540.551.9300. We have to ask ourselves if its okay for innocent men to have lives ruined for the trade off of punishing all the men who deserve it. Part I", "FAQs | Sexual Misconduct | Christendom College", "As alumni claim sexual assault is mishandled, Christendom College vows to improve", "Christendom College alumni call for Title IX response to sexual assaults", "Christendom College 'Professor Emeritus' arrested on child sex abuse charges", "Former Christendom College professor arrested on charges of soliciting a child", "Statement Regarding Former Professor Dr. William Luckey", "Former Christendom professor charged with taking indecent liberties with child", "Former Christendom College professor avoids trial, pleads to lesser charges", "Christendom College Claims NSCRO 7s Title", "Christendom rugby wins school's first national championship | News, Sports, Jobs - The Northern Virginia Daily", "Christendom College Wins College Rugby National Championship", "Christendom Earns #1 Ranking from National Collegiate Rugby", "Christendom Rugby Earns #1 National Ranking for Second Straight Year", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Christendom_College&oldid=1125876208, This page was last edited on 6 December 2022, at 09:55. As I said, virtue thrives in the light. Because Simcha has an ax to grind. Please read above reply concerning accountability. A male Residence Life staff member also lives on campus to assist the men. The young man left Christendom in Smiths senior year. He sat beside her and began to make small talk, putting his hand on her leg. A.M.D.G. Our time-tested integrated liberal arts education is the ideal education for the future. Smith had hurt her back in a car accident when she was a freshman. The college was criticized for in the past not including rules against sexual assault in their handbook, while not offering any idea on what is now included in the Christendoms policy on sexual assault. Not really much in her comment to provoke a snippy answer anyway. Best of luck! It isnt Christendoms fault this happened they can only learn as fast as the culture encroaches..that young man should have kept his hands to himself period. On the other hand, you encouraged us to hate ourselves and hate the world around us in pursuit of an impossible, harmful ideal, an ideal which crumbled whenever it met reality. She was at a party hosted by her theology teacher, Eric Jenislawski, after a meeting of the Chester-Belloc Debate Society. Well be waiting forever. Furthermore, it is alleged that you continued to harass her by trying to provoke her to slap you, hit you or kiss you. Hes taken enough from me; hes not gonna take this.. Or how uber conservatives throw trad and Tridentine around like they are some kind of guarantee for sanctity. Protected: Podcast #19: Parking meters, mixed greens, and other UNBEARABLE SCOURGES. Her hatred for Christendom is glaring. Students live near the Vatican during the fall and spring, taking classes in St. Peter's Square and traveling across Europe during their time abroad. Another tangential point: I dont understand the outrage communicated by so many that the standards for women are so much higher than the one for men, and that a great amount of responsibility rests on our shoulders to keep men chaste. Protected: Podcast 36: She googled THIS on a Friday night and what she saw made her lose her mind! This gives women more of an opportunity to share a concern or incident with a staff member they trust. I didnt know about consent because, in my world, good Christian girls and boys were supposed to never have anything bad happen to them that was what happened to so-called sinful, unChristian people. "[29][30] This statement has since been removed from the college website. And some of the friends that I made. We ignore it at our peril. unless you are a member of the clergy etc YOU ARE IN THE SECULAR WORLD. It seems to be a bigger problem now that the sexually charged culture doesnt help young men and women relate to each other without sexual overtones in every encounter. I said the college had an obligation to investigate by questioning him directly (in a private setting) about the rape. Yes, there are individuals at every school who break the rules and go against the culture their school promotes, but here at Christendom, we promote a sense of dignity and appreciation for women that I dont experience in the secular world and not many other Catholic communities. Before I left the church one of the last times I went to confession was before serving a mass in the dominican rite for a priest I'd shared most of my courses with in grad school. Christendom College was founded by Warren H. Carroll in 1977 with $50,000. Basically, Christendom University has set up a parallel court system to try these cases and determine guilt outside of the civil court system. Thanks; I've largely shed myself of the Catholic mental baggage by this point, so don't worry. Asking questions are really good thing if you In your own words, this article is about how this student should have received better care, and more protection from this guy later. The first amendment offers incredible protections for shoddy journalism like this piece offers. Neither of which am I suggesting. She said all of that, and you are intelligent enough to have reading comprehension. It seems hypocritical to demand that the school find him guilty of rape and expel him if you are going to hide his name until he tells his side of the story. I don't have any traumatic stories of being bullied for being LGBT, secret Church pedophiles, or other abuse tragically common for many here (though, for all I know, that stuff might've been happening where I didn't look.) Gigi, when I dated a man who attended Christendom, we had extended conversations about the philosophy of human nature that led one of the professors to conclude that, among other things, (a) women are ontologically inferior to men and (b) women shouldnt vote. [12], The college's Junior Semester in Rome program was established in 2002. Assuming the research you have done here is all reported accurately (which the college disputes), it doesnt exactly make the place a hot-bed of sexual assaults and sexual harassment issues. The alleged assault did not occur on campus. Undergraduate students combine a liberal arts core-curriculum with eventual upper-level courses in their major field (or fields) of study. Sounds great. #2. letter kind of reminds me of sessions of my 8th grade social dancing classes The accused do NOT have to prove their innocence. It felt like a never ending guilt trip. I used to argue with the Dominicans at St. Mary's in New Haven (close to campus). According to records of the minutes taken at two local school board meetings, one of which was held on July 15, 2021 and another on August 5, 2021, multiple public employees at Riverside Unified . Smith continued to call the school after graduation to see if they had changed the policy. Smith and her family were floored. Christendom is nearly unique among Catholic colleges and universities in that, because it accepts no federal funding, it is not subject to the legal constraints of Title IX. It is not uncommon, either. Same; I also feel like I wasted my college years on Catholic garbage, but I also broke free and am living much more healthily than I was back there. I considered Christendom, but that seemed a bit too much for me at the time. She describes the open houses that would take place in the dorms once a semester. A handbook that has to be revised and reviewed by the colleges legal team I assume? But what jumps out at me is that this happened not because of following the colleges policies, but because of disregarding them. It was oppressively stifling there. We will continue to do so in fidelity to our mission: to restore all things in Christ. We now offer both a men and womens monthly formation series that addresses mental health, healthy relationships, and other gender-specific topics. I vehemently disagreed with their misogyny, but never was sexually harassed, assaulted, etc. I currently attend Christendom. Christendom is an excellent college with a delightfully wholesome atmosphere. I feel like even the name would be a barrier to getting hired. Bishop Finn of Kansas City was convicted for failing to report suspected child abuse because he HESITATED to report it. Although the school imposed sanctions on the young man, he was taken under the wing of one of its founders and professors, William Marshner, and he lived in Marshners house for the semester he was barred from living on campus. I left the church partially because of this problem (and several other more severe issues). The way I see it, and many may disagree with this, but the failure was not a moral failure, but an administerial one(if that). Let your no mean no and your yes mean yes. I think both sexes can rise to a greater standard. I always find it interesting they always try to punish students for drinking off campus, if you come back to campus drunk, Smith said. I would go to the only cafe in town, and hed be sitting outside. it was that, or sit in a brightly-lit classroom, with room for the Holy Spirit between you, and since its a public area, anybody might happen by and join you. Lets embrace it. O'Donnell's biggest building contribution was the new Chapel of Christ the King, which he promised in his inaugural address as president. But there were many inaccuracies about the school: we never had to get outfits approved for dates, you are allowed to sit next to each other, and we didnt have to wear skirts all the time. The lack of process in place is about the same for most schools that size and design. Oops. Although Smiths patron is Maria Goretti, the teenaged saint who was stabbed to death while resisting rape, Smith said the concept of rape was foreign to her. In fact, my old college had a case like that years back and the girl getting him to admit what he did in a text to her gave them enough to proceed to action. The passion rises. Its also a great way to smear the innocent and destroy reputations or get legally sued into bankruptcy. There was nothing to stop this from happening again, Smith said. Warren Carroll's response to such radicalism was to found a college. Protected: Podcast 33: Hes a very nice guy. While I fully believe her narrative is true, its not unreasonable to also suppose that a college would have to do a kind of balancing act where legal authorities are absent. Open your eyes; the inward and the outward ones, Simcha, and realize that the secular law will never be more then a band-aid for these types of crimes with a festering wound underneath. And no-one can really know the statistics. I left at the end of my freshman year (wouldve been class of 17 if I stayed). In a letter dated May 16, 2011, Scott Smith, her father, wrote to Timothy ODonnell, the president of Christendom, Adeles grades plummeted that first semester of her sophomore year. However, Im not sure the reporting here accurately reflects of the issues at Christendom, and it certainly doesnt lay out anything that can be done to improve conditions for future students, as the few things suggested have already been implemented. Episode #60: Who or what is a Malcolm Gladwell? That was not how my parents were, but sex assault is unique crime. Saunders left his position as dean, and founding faculty member Dr. Kristin Burns took over the position. I miss the sacred music program there. von | Jun 17, 2022 | tornadoes of 1965 | | Jun 17, 2022 | tornadoes of 1965 | And St. Peters church (or rather the organ there). Liked it? [32] As a result, a group of alumni called for the school to adopt Title IX policies to better protect students in the future and also called for the resignation of O'Donnell. We will do better. Ugh, how vile. If you think about it for half a second, youd realize youre asking more of Christendom than literally any institution could ever do, at least when it comes to prevention. And victims have the right to be taken seriously, to not be dismissed. Dont even get me going on how Steubenville is just a fusion of vineyard Pentecostalism with JP2 Catholicism. The River and the drinking that occurs there is an open secret that the administration is aware of. Im not saying that the accused should have been expelled. Smith texted her boyfriend the next day, saying she didnt want to see him again. Deciding to proceed with creating a parallel court system over allegations as serious and difficult to determine as rape is a momentous decision fraught with difficulties both legal and practical. False accusations may be relatively rare, but they are still real. It is sad, and I think a lot of us wayward ones may have a hard time reconciling the fond memories with our current disdain for the Church. She remembers standing outside the car, smoking a cigarette and shaking, and her boyfriend saying he didnt know why she was making such a big deal out of it. His behavior is horrible and I hope that he experiences the full extent of the justice system. Christendom College. How clear is our no, really? As a graduate of Christendom, I see no reason why he couldnt have been expelled. Today a new wave of aggressive secularism is attempting to sweep away the roots and reasons for your faith. Christendom College offers an amazing Liberal Arts education that is immersed in the Catholic Faith. And it is these serious issues which led the Fishers to dedicate a great deal of time and energy into researching and writing this article. The culture on campus protects you from being raped on campus, which is why this incident took place off site. Or going to the county if the town is not addressing it? You dont like the sense it makes, you disagree with it, but your disagreement does not make it illogical. . That doesnt really sound like they didnt take it seriously, but that they went above and beyond the accusation at face value and tried to address it by doing extensive research. Yeah, the campus is pretty, but the culture is weird. The reporting alleges/implies that young women arent safe at Christendom, that the university has an ongoing culture of assault and harassment toward women which is accepted by the community, and that the University doesnt help women who have been raped. It makes it hard for a young woman to keep herself safe if *all* the places where a date might happen are private. He encouraged her to get counseling and to tell the school administration what had happened. They didnt make any changes until after pressure had been applied over the course of several years.
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