This is part of the problem: college kids are not children but adults with agency to make decisions for their life. The entire passage describing his offense is as follows: Specifically, you admitted: to placing your hand on Adele Smiths knee, attempting to provoke her to slap you and or to kiss you to deal with her frustrations with you, and finally for telling some students around campus that she had seduced you. We cant! Another no escapes your lips and you make another feeble effort to turn away or push his hands away. . LOL, the chastity policy was a joke when I went there. Since 1977, Christendom has been providing the best Catholic liberal arts education to prepare students to restore all things in Christ. And yet, with your ability to judge her soul, you dont know why That is mysterious indeed. Hes the one who lives in fear of me and my devious feminine allurements, right? Smith and her family were floored. Error thrives in darkness. It has nothing to do with thinking that drinking is worse than sexual assault. But by not questioning the accused on the matter of rape (it wasnt mentioned in his disciplinary notice), the college forfeited responsibility altogether. What Adele says about not allowing PDAs on campus may seem like an interesting topic for discussion but dragging Christendom down the road of shame because they dont have coed dorms is really not the answer. I will say that no professor I had ever backed up this position, but neither did I see them fight to overturn it. What exactly did you expect to happen, or could have happened? There is a problem when Hollywood is doing a better job, and that problem deserves a discussion. A few weeks after I got back home, I had my last drink and Ive been sober since. is buddy allen married. If he was accused again in the future, the record would help support that accusation. The college has since updated the apology with a Sexual Misconduct FAQs page that outlines the steps the college takes when cases of sexual misconduct are brought to its attention.[31]. Amanda Graf, the current Director of Student Affairs at Christendom, confirms that student handbook did not include a policy against sexual assault until 2013, two years after Smith reported her rape. Thank you! Thats America. I appreciate your thoughtful comments. I marched in the March for Life and protested a DC abortion clinic; for anyone whose lives I made worse by pushing anti-abortion propaganda, I am truly sorry. But it took me a second to realize what was happening. Im sorry, I would not want to hurt anyone and I certainly cant judge the situation. If they had to leave public areas to show affection, then they might as well go to the prettiest. Come on. absent more data (im just going off of what Ive read here so far) how exactly is a school supposed to punish someone for a violent felony for which they have Z-E-R-O evidence for? in austria i was still unhappy, decided to leave early with an Associates degree. The Christendom scandal, is about an administration, who got ahold of a case after the legal authorities were already informed and failed to do anything, and then tried to fix the problem in a very lowkey diplomatic way, that would prevent them from being sued by the kids family. Which is probably why you hide behind your anon screenname. I am very sorry to hear of any sexual assault and it can happen in Front Royal. If theyre allowed to kiss in a common area, then if the guy says come up to my room, shes going to say no, because theres nothing she could do in his room that she cant in the common area, except stuff she doesnt want to do. Their donations requests are a joke. It is alleged that a professor offered an example about Adele in class in an effort to smear her, however multiple students have come forward to say that his example was being used many, many years before Adela even attended the university, so it couldnt have been about her. Maybe because I studied theology and philosophy I did not experience this? Sounds great. Tag: racism National Congress on the Word of God: A Two-Edged Sword. If they do, their efforts to grow as a Catholic college will surely be blessed by greater growth in virtue. On the day of the rape, she re-injured her back while cleaning her room for Homecoming Weekend, and so her new boyfriend suggested that they have a low-key, relaxing date. In 2013, after Smith had graduated from the school, she again downloaded the student handbook and was aghast to see there was still no language forbidding sexual assault by students. 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. This would be a situation in which shed be even less safe as the university would literally have no leverage over him. Your objectives have nothing to do with the truth, the several patently false claims youve made about Christendom are evidence of as much. The reports indicate that Adele Smith indicated, after a prior incident with you, that she no longer wanted a relationship with you. LOL do you really think students who put a mattress on the cement floor of a basement were looking for romance?! Her GPA slipped to 1.2. To me that sort of practice betrays more about the motivations of the reporter than the matters on which he/she reports. You use false logic and your pen is sadly misdirected this time. Each day that goes by, she is reminded that nothing will happen to him. This article sounds like Stephanie Meyer had a hay day, so if thats what you were going for, good job! In the letter, ODonnell tells Smiths father that the school understands the anguish the Smith family is feeling as they wait for a judgment against the young man, and that the college will make a complete and careful investigation of [Smiths] allegations before rendering a decision that will impact both the life of the accused and the accuser.. Again, every college in America that has less strict PDA rules (nearly every college in America) has rape. christendom college racism. This puts students at greater risk. Ugh, how vile. Her phrasing seems to imply that there was no second year at this secular college. Sure. 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. The school, itself, is actually quite safe, so safe that even when rape happens among its own students, it has to happen off the school grounds. Never mind the mental health agony I endured in thinking I had brought on myself same-sex erotic involvement. Which of these rights do you want to see eliminated? I wasn't really prepared for the amount of raw heresy I was surrounded with. It says she felt like the provost didnt care which is entirely subjective, and wasnt able to respond promptly, especially since extra duties were imposed on him and probably didnt have an exact answer ready for them anyway. Never tell a rape or assault victim that consent is nebulous. You might think to yourself, as Miss Smith did for example, Is this really happening? with 50% terror and 50% thrill. Smiths father consulted with a lawyer friend, who said that the best they could realistically hope for would be that the young mans record would include an accusation of rape. Help me fund this site and get access to my and my husbands occasional podcast and other perks. Holding hands, a warm hug, perhaps even a peck on the cheek totally sins against chastity. What I found was the opposite, the longer a person had been at Christendom the less likely they were to show Christian charity, or even a spirit of evangelization. Warren Carroll's response to such radicalism was to found a college. Thats not how it works in any of the college towns Ive lived in, and I live in one now, where we also have a military base, and the base police dont have jurisdiction outside the base, for the most part. i actually looked into going to Christendom College and got accepted. Because if there were no chastity policy, people wouldnt be pushed into secret places andcould be openly unchaste. Casting aspersions on the Fishers is an ad hominem because they cant adequately address the issue in itself. Rapes happen far more frequently on college campuses where anything goes. Throughout the letter, ODonnell refers to the young man by his last name, but refers to Adele Smith by her first name. After what felt like hours, he left. Its handling of the case may not have been malicious, but it was certainly pusillanimous. It would do a great deal more to restore faith in their school if they would be open about the affair. In my head I thought he was able to walk away does he really love me? We women all love being loved, and physical intimacy is such a natural sign of love and acceptance. Especially, never talk about the training RAs have undergone and all the other things the university has done to improve their support of women in rape cases. states that have laws saying Dont rape people. As a graduate of Christendom, I see no reason why he couldnt have been expelled. Is the suggestion that Christendom should act in the place of the police, even without evidence of the rape? After graduation, she went to a catholic high school that was run by nuns. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. There were crazy people, there were priests who dispensed truly awful guidance in spiritual direction. Marshner has since left Christendom. Did you read where she said no to his hand in her shirt? I think maybe it lies in the fact that, because interactions between the sexes are so tightly regulated, couples are far more likely to ensure they are completely out of sight of anyone else, thus providing more opportunities for those with less than pure intentions. All his body language was hostile and arrogant.. He told me he was often bothered by the question about the purpose of satan's existence as a specifically troubling version of the problem of evil. [37], In 2022, Luckey appeared in court and pled guilty in order to receive a reduced sentence of time served, 24 months supervised probation, and must register as a sex offender. Burning at the stake fits the witch-hunt analogy, because thats what this article amounts to. You cant tell a Catholic girl to be suspicious of her fellow (male) students because that would make her a man-hating feminazi. Simchas piece was very specific. Karen wrote, reads as if composed by a hypnotized 5 year old.. I hope the girls involved will know that sharing what happened will help others. . He was my friend, I knew him, I knew his sister, and it felt very natural sitting in the back, Smith said. 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. But the stubborn Irish in me determined if I left, he would win. My criticism of this article is blaming Christendom for not doing the same thing this article can not; openly accuse the man in question of rape. Oct. 12, 202201:21. Is it possible that they could get it wrong? The cost of the chapel is estimated to run approximately $13.5 million, with an additional $13.5 million allocated to the endowment and the remaining $13 million going to the annual fund. Curious. What is your point really? The faculty hold degrees from schools such as Columbia University, Yale University, Catholic University of America, University of Notre Dame, University of Virginia, the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, and The John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family (Rome, Washington DC, and Melbourne sessions). Sure, they could get threatened by the student with a lawsuit, but accusations of rape could then be brought up in court, and such accusations are much easier to prove in a civil suit, so there would be protection for the college. The more men have to be heroic, the more women do as well. You can see it, you can feel it on the campusWhile some colleges in this Guide may match its Catholic commitment, it is unlikely that any exceeds it., Six months after graduation, the members of the Class of 2022 had an overall success rate of, based on a survey with a 100% knowledgerate. Is hearing both sides unreasonable? Catholic apologists will be perma banned without warning. Thats precisely what happened when Smith was raped by her then-boyfriend, a fellow Christendom student. The school does not accept federal funding. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. 1) Christendom is very small and a step off campus puts one right back in the non-PDA world. The other allegations against him were also by hearsay, and they put those allegations in writing and asked him to defend himself. Not because they are animals, but because our culture is hyper-sexualized in a way that has been hitherto unseen. I could leave my laptop lying out anywhere on campus, with no password, and be confident I could come back and find it un-stolen. All it did was push people into secret places where chastity was more in danger. Actually, if you read what the new sexual assault policy is, it is much more than Smith claims. Karl Petrick Assistant Director of Advancement Services We should demand it be better. As a campus dedicated to following the teachings of the Catholic Church, we strive to foster an environment where every student feels safe and respected and where the dignity of the human person is upheld and honored. nor were the other women I know who hung out with them. Why? And yeah, I knew a lot of people who thought women shouldnt vote. Would you like to explain, please, what you mean by inaccuracies? Not everyone can be brought to justice so easily, but if you make no effort to even recognize an issue as an institution then that can become something serious. 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. Ive been guessing and guessing whoever it is seems to still have his good reputation intact. Eh, Simcha? I dont know what transpired during their internal investigation, but the college could have called both accused and accuser (separately) to give testimony in the presence of an attorney. Ive seen way too many crises in my time, where people just went on acting as if nothing happened, not because they didnt care, but because its all they knew how to do and werent really able to fathom it, much less solve it. A recent blog, which contains misleading information and serious inaccuracies, was posted about Christendom College. Forgettable as most commencement addresses are, I remember yours clearly, Scott Smith wrote to ODonnell. I felt safe there. New student orientation includes a session that covers sexual harassment and assault, reporting, and on-campus resources for support. I had seen already something was wrong, something had happened, Foeckler said. Having said that, I have fallen away from the Church now and whenever I look back I have a sense of bitterness to temper the sweetness of the memories. But hes also smart enough to skate around any blame when there isnt any proof. Founded in 1977 in response to the devastating blow inflicted on Catholic higher education by the cultural revolution which swept across America in the 1960s, Christendoms goal is to provide a truly Catholic education in fidelity to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church and thereby to prepare students for their role as lay apostles to restore all things in Christ. Civil authorities operate under much greater constraints. And all the fancy words you use cant hide that. If Christendom University has an ongoing serious problem (and it may for all I know), this article doesnt demonstrate that. Feb 5, 2018 / 15:45 pm. This was really well-written. Now that everyone has cellphones, it would be cool if the school set up a service where you could text for a pickup if youre in trouble for instance if youre at a party where youre being pressured to drink, or alone in a car with a pushy guy. When was the last time you heard of a lie or series of lies a journalist told being prosecuted? Easier said than done, of course. I understand the argument that Christendom had their hands tied due to the lack of criminal prosecution. She said, Im not comfortable with that, and he said, Okay.. Wed use the in-campus phones in the lobby or in our dorm rooms to call security. This is an event that took place off campus, with literally one witness. ok, but what evidence did the college have that he did? I went there to study with him, not go to Franciscan so much. Then send your kids to a Jesuit school where they get free condoms. When I tried to figure out what had happened, I would say, He had sex with me, but I didnt, she said. The Cardinal Newman Society, which publishes an authoritative annual guide to Catholic Colleges, says Christendom makes a point to emphasize virtuous living, which translates to a faithful Catholic lifestyle and strong friendships. Shes a hater. That is a fundamental principle of justice. If not, then how is the school supposed to levy public punishments that would permittly alter this guys life if the woman would not go forward to authorities? Similar to the reasonings at Hillsdale College, Carroll believed that the government might eventually intrude on Christendom's academic and religious freedom.[4]. It is genuinely baffling to methough perhaps it should not bethat so many people read an article about a Catholic university so badly bungling its response to the sexual assault of its students and when they get to the end can ask with a straight face what was your goal in writing this? Or worse, claim that the writing of it was badly motivated or will have deleterious effects that outweigh the good done by shedding light on wrongdoing. Lately, I've started "coming out" as an agnostic to most of my friends from there. Theres still a problem of not having places to have on campus dates. Students werent forced off campus to have sex; they always found some place to do it, even if it was in a medieval dungeon. Christendom has no love, and without love there is only tyranny. I must charitably assume (another term I learned there) this must have been chaste, but it still looked extremely odd. Which most of us dont want to read. Therefore, you are being charged with violating the Code of Student Conduct., A disciplinary conference was scheduled for July 28 of 2011. Not as well as I would have liked, but it was punished. We should not be complacent about it failing students in such gross ways. Huh. When the schools response is to prevent the rapist from living on campus for a semester, and a professor welcomes him into his home while smearing the student who was raped in class, without serious consequences, its fair to criticize the school. My condolences for all the victims. It wasnt until August of that year that the language was added to the handbook. The girls would get baked goods and candy, and the guys would come into the dorm and take a tour. Glad to hear everyone still hates those fountains. What are men doing to step up their game for women? I am a 92 graduate, and my oldest is a graduate, and I have three other kids currently there. Since the story initially broke, additional allegations of at least 18 previous cases of sexual harassment and assault over the past 45 years have been made. And I still have some fond memories of the place, even today. I am not only respected by my peers but also my teachers. Imply that there is a pattern and that the pattern is indicative of the current campus environment. It creates an unhealthy culture. Seite auswhlen. Today, we remain among the fewer than 1% of Catholic universities in the United States that reject all federal government aid. I went to an elite secular college and had a pretty bad experience. Im glad you ran this story, and I hope it will help schools be more accountable. This response sounds like a trolling hay day, so if thats what you were going for, good job! i grew up Novus Ordo and so did all my friends at Christendom. But by not questioning the accused on the matter of rape (it wasnt mentioned in his disciplinary notice), the college forfeited responsibility altogether. No, they simply made the decision not to accuse someone of a violent felony with zero evidence. Question: are the writers christendom 2020 and sophomore girl at Christendom the same girl/ writer? the letters read to indicate the same writer. It may be that the whole thing wasnt handled as it should have been, but then, how should it have been handled? 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. Seriously. None of us were involved in the off campus drinking by the riveras were all the Trad kidsand no doubt the sexual assault that went with it. There are a few spots they frequent, but as an undergrad I didnt realize there was much more than the Martins parking lot, where the campus van drops you off. Our culture promotes chivalry and kindness towards everyone at Christendom. RAs are now trained in responding to and reporting sexual harassment or assault. And Im grateful to the pastor there because my alcoholism had descended to frightening levels while I was there, and he ended up 12th-stepping me and making sure I had a copy of the AA meeting schedules in the area. But in that year, 2012, a year after she reported her rape, the school still had not added a policy against sexual assault to their student handbook. Im not sure I agree with this. [19], Christendom College has received notable attention from members of the Catholic Church since its founding in 1977, including from Pope John Paul II. We dont stand for PDA, we certainly dont allow for men grabbing arses in public. Students to Spend Spring Break on Mission Trips, Womens Basketball Takes Runner-Up in Conference Tournament, Christendom Rugby Punches Ticket to Nationals. Rest assured, I've cast off my own self-imposed shackles; it's much easier to approach the world and the people in it without worrying that they're not living up to Catholicism's impossible standards.
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