You are correct on what the report alleges and implies. I agree with you, they need to recognize the issue and address it more head on. [38], Christendom College has two schools offering graduate and undergraduate degrees. And I think the criticism of the PDA policy is quite apt. I am a 92 graduate, and my oldest is a graduate, and I have three other kids currently there. If the intent here is to correct inaccuracies rather than, as it appears to be, an attempt to discredit Simcha as a journalist then it would be appropriate to say what exactly was misleading or inaccurate in the original post(s). The town has over 14,000 people, so the college isnt a large part of it. Which means, of course, he may very well have done it again. I really, really hope that she isnt approaching her stories with a big chip on her shoulder towards anything conservative Catholic. Starting in September 2016, Christendom College launched an ambitious project called the "A Call To Greatness Campaign" to raise $40 million for the college's endowment, the annual fund, and a construction project to build a new 750-seat medieval gothic chapel featuring a 130-foot tower and eight prayer altars. While the classes and Catholic culture are unique, the college administration struggles with some modernization of the buildings . The spirituality they relentlessly pushed never really clicked for me, though I always told myself it was my fault for not Jesusing harder, for not totally surrendering myself to a God Who wasn't really interested in talking back. I say, if you rape off campus, when you come back to campus, youre still a rapist.. Are you saying that campus security police are supposed to be policing the town? Because Simcha has an ax to grind. Back at the time, when I was an 18-year-old fresh convert, it was EXACTLY the kind of place I wanted to be. Which of these rights do you want to see eliminated? Her grades continued to be low for the rest of her junior year. To you fellow women out there, Im sure you all know the feeling of power that we experience over a man who is attracted to us. Smith herself says these rules drive couples off campus. But I also understand how difficult this whole situation becomes for Christendom, having no evidence whatsoever. When was the last time you heard of a lie or series of lies a journalist told being prosecuted? We are committed in our policies, our procedures, and in our on-campus culture to uphold and promote the dignity of women and men. Clearly, both the young man and the young woman had people on their side who believed one person over the other in this he-said-she-said situation. Youve pushed the boundaries so far that the man is no longer in control. And no-one can really know the statistics. in austria i was still unhappy, decided to leave early with an Associates degree. If these things are happening, then it is accurate. Christendom doesnt have anything like that. Dont like it? Bear in mind I never heard of anybody calling security if they were at a party in South Bend that got out of handbut I didnt run in very party-like circles. In the 1990s, Reverend William Saunders became president of the Institute and moved it to its present location in Alexandria, Virginia, in addition to leading it to full accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. . Now, perhaps well-meaning couples end up going farther in private than they would if they could kiss in public, but were not talking about well-meaning couples, were talking about rapists and victims. Please teach your children that no always means NO so they will not be victims or predators. At that point, he does not see the difference between this no and that one. nor were the other women I know who hung out with them. That takes a lot of strength to write to them like that. Not even subtle, in my experience. I hope and pray that the uncovering of these wrongs will enable the college to properly apologize and make amends for their failures. Why not with the rape? Oct. 12, 202201:21. 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. It wasnt until August of that year that the language was added to the handbook. Simcha is right on in insisting that consent be taught at Christendom and in Catholic bubbles. The more men have to be heroic, the more women do as well. I didnt say they should immediately assume hes a rapist, call him a rapist, and publicly expel him as a rapist. The idea of reporting her rape scared Smith. A school can also have clearly defined sexual assault policies on the books, and discuss these policies with their students. While it is true that Cdom, as I understand it, expels people for far less, it is usually for things in which there is more evidence or for matters that are more in their jurisdiction. The victims always blame themselves.. The colleges response is a legal response to an alleged crime. After Adele did slap you, you allegedly said, If you slapped me really hard and it really hurt, I wouldnt want to kiss you. It is further alleged that on other occasions you went out of your way to volunteer with groups of friends that Adele had seduced you. Hes not going to fall for that. However, I avoided the professors whose reputation for being ultra-trad proceeded them as much as possible. When I went back to visit a few years later it was hard for me because I felt bereaved in a waylike this safe space full of spiritual fantasies and security had been permanently denied to me. Simultaneously persecuted superior and Self hating in that bizarre catholic mix Brilliant line. #1 . Addressing the first tier of SRT, individual racism, Christians should be on guard against secular teachings that provide extra-biblical definitions of sin. Most of the responses have been supportive. I hope you will also do an expose on colleges such as Notre Damethe wackadoodle attitudes I encountered there regarding women and sex would make your head spin. The idea is that if you dont have make out places, youll get rape places. Not the most helpful thing, Mrs. Fischer. Unfortunately, sexual assault is happening throughout the Catholic (and homeschooling) community in Front Royal, not just Christendom. Gross means the opposite of minor. This encourages privacy and some better behavior. Which is probably why you hide behind your anon screenname. It has been hard to process that and it is hard to look back without having suspicions towards many of even the "well-meaning and reasonable" authorities on campus. Accusing someone, officially, with a VIOLENT FELONY, particularly one that even absent a conviction, or even if done falsely can utterly destroy people, is not something you can just get away with. It sounds from the way the witnesses say he behaved that this guy probably is a sociopath and I believe probably did rape her. His punishment: He could not live on campus for one semester, and he could not contact Adele Smith. While maybe thats small in comparison to rape, its not a small step for a school to take. Changed to a practical degree, learned about the real world. Lately, I've started "coming out" as an agnostic to most of my friends from there. They know they are not as upstanding as they would like. It is this faith that has been the guiding beacon during some difficult and seemingly hopeless times, even when I had turned my heart against Him and turned my back on [faith]. What if anyone found out? This is an insane accusation and was never the case, as students have stated. No, it takes opening a word document and writing it up: Dont rape people.. In retrospect, I can say, Youre a dummy! But back then, I was nineteen. That sounds like quite the emotional roller coaster. When she was there, it wasnt possible. Why not with the rape? College disciplinary boards, however, can set whatever standards they want, especially a completely independent institution like Christendom. The truth matters little. I remember hanging out with some of them. Therefore I found you responsible for the violation of Harassment.. Christendom College is a Catholic liberal arts college in Front Royal, Virginia, United States, located in the Shenandoah Valley. Mr. Dorman showed no apparent interest in pursuing any sort of investigation, Scott Smith wrote. Basically, Christendom University has set up a parallel court system to try these cases and determine guilt outside of the civil court system. I remember him once going on a rant about how tattoos are marks of psychological disorder and moral perversion. What is to blame there?? Its just a natural human need to connect with someone youre in a relationship with, Smith said. L.A. council President Nury Martinez faces pressure to resign after racist remarks in leaked audio. I had been a virgin. [28] College President Timothy O'Donnell acknowledged victims in an official statement, saying, "We have failed some of our students. Only as an adult did I see the dynamics of power, coercion, grooming and (lack of) consent at play, and even when I began to tell my story, many people brushed it off as in onsequential. The College offers two/three daily Masses; daily Confession, Rosary, and Eucharistic adoration; and celebrates together many liturgical and cultural feasts. we have reports that indicate that you have violated the Code of Student Conduct by harassing another student and causing emotional harm. This is a legal matter, and the school is right to wash its hands clean of that responsibility as they are not qualified to deal with such accusations on their own. There was that one time I got a booty call from an upperclassman with a key to the administrative building. And one of the most glaring incidents you chose to report on didnt even occur on campus, it occurred 30 minutes away. Mary Statue By AgnosticPreachersKid (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (. This really sucks because it probably means hes going to get away with it. Our time-tested integrated liberal arts education is the ideal education for the future. This is not degrading but a call to heroism on both sides. On what planet? What exactly did you expect to happen, or could have happened? 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. If you dont have weed places, does that mean youll get crack places? It is not a tether. )Total Undergraduates: 544 (from 45 States and 6 foreign countries)Male/Female Ratio:45:55, Freshman Standardized Test Scores:Average SAT score (out of 1600): 1270Average ACT score (out of 36): 27Average CLT score (out of 120): 89, Tuition: $28,500Room & Board:$12,150Required Fees: $1,020, Freshman Retention Rate: 85%Graduation Rate: 69% 4 years (2018-2022 average)% Courses with fewer than 20 students: 59%Student/Faculty Ratio:15:1% Courses Taught by Teaching Assistants:03 Most Popular Majors:History, Philosophy, Political Science% Students Living on Campus: 90%% Students receiving need-based financial aid:55%% Students receiving need-based or merit-based aid: 80%Acceptance Rate: 77%Yield Rate: 50%. Im sorry, I would not want to hurt anyone and I certainly cant judge the situation. We ignore it at our peril. Its a campus so safe, that rapist actually have to convince their victims to leave in order to rape them. 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. You clearly didnt read my comments carefully. Is hearing both sides unreasonable? What drives couples off campus is the desire to do things that are prohibited on campus. [T]he alleged assault of Adele did not take place on campus. This response sounds like a trolling hay day, so if thats what you were going for, good job! He responded by calling her a bitch and a prude, and saying, You know you liked it. She blocked his number. i would find out who is funding this school of etiquette masking as an institution of higher learning before i would give them a plug nickle.. All PDA-rule-free. Exactly as DCNM said: NOT QUOTED OR DESCRIBED. Its bad because just by the quotes of things hes said, Im pretty sure hes exactly the kind of guy who would force himself on a woman. RAs are now trained in responding to and reporting sexual harassment or assault. In one way, Im glad I have this information. Accountability, yes, definitely. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. They should be able to express themselves romantically in a public setting, which is a safer setting to learn how to navigate as a couple. Christendom has no love, and without love there is only tyranny. One of my classmates was seriously over the top and has gone on to make her name as a self-appointed investigative journalist and spiritual director online. She had no objection, as they had kissed before. It was only people in my freshman class greener than I was who were willing to lend any support. I have to wonder why people entrust a liberal arts school board to be able to fairly assess rape allegations, when law enforcement werent able to. You described an inability or unwillingness to use your words to say, this is hard, but Im saying no! 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. Any student can stroll on the public road or in the neighborhood across the street nonPDA world, let alone the town, or the rest of the known world. [36] He has had no interaction with the school since 2015, the college said in an interview with the Northern Virginia Daily, adding that Luckeys relationship with the school would not continue. The school promised to conduct a complete and careful investigation.. The town and the college have a very interesting relationship. Goodbye, Christendom College. But yeah, there was definitely navet in spades. Because what you have doesnt pass the smell test. Ive been guessing and guessing whoever it is seems to still have his good reputation intact. i actually looked into going to Christendom College and got accepted. But I think what this often boils down to is he said vs she said. There are women who lie, even if they are a tiny minority. He may or may not be a rapist, but do you really want institutions denouncing a man as a rapist without a trial. I felt safe there. 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. I vehemently disagreed with their misogyny, but never was sexually harassed, assaulted, etc. Hit pieces only need to be tangentially accurate to get 1st amendment protections. Have we learned nothing in the past 15 years? Case in point, when I started going off the rails I would have expected my fellow Catholics to guide me back, especially the older more experienced upper classman I tried to lean on. Oh, this was before cellphones. Christendom College offers an amazing Liberal Arts education that is immersed in the Catholic Faith. Discouraged, Smith hesitated, then eventually called law enforcement rangers and met with them at Shenandoah National Park. Seite auswhlen. The guilt I still carry from a year there was crushing - it was constant write ups for dress code, curfew violations because of my off campus job etc. I considered Christendom, but that seemed a bit too much for me at the time. A reasonable process may not have been able to do anything about the situation, but a reasonable process still should have been pursued. They do not invalidate the substance of the story. You could have discussed it without illustrating it so clearly. We need to hear you and your experience. I went to a small all-womens college, and we had an excellent campus security force; if you were feeling unsure about walking to your car at night you could call them for an escort. I am so sorry for this woman, rape is a horrible crime on so many levels, maybe one of the worst aspects is the lack prosecution. Well said. 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.) The young man was charismatic, well-known, and well-liked on campus. Protected: Podcast #20: GET THAT ALLIGATOR AWAY FROM ME! That would have at least been SOMETHING besides heresay. hope youve finally found happiness as well. There is a moral failing when a founders son is a perpetrator and this is covered up continually over the years, Andrew, you said: I still live in Front Royal, and until very recently our police have been a joke when it comes to stuff like this. A private institution that is not subject to federal collegiate regulations has such flexibility. Absolutely, but leaders have to weigh the pros and cons, of which there are many, and seek the greater good. Higher rates of rape, according to USNews&World Report. Not everyone who is 18 or older fits the definition of an adult. 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. 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. Los Angeles City Councilmember resigns after leaked racist remarks. The facts state otherwise. Its way too small. 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. In many cases, I doubt it. #3. All his body language was hostile and arrogant.. A recent blog, which contains misleading information and serious inaccuracies, was posted about Christendom College. Andrew, Exactly. Christendom College. Perhaps could have been goaded into admitting he forced her against her will via text if tweeked in the right way. 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. Christendom College is a private Catholic college in Virginia. She describes the open houses that would take place in the dorms once a semester. What was he going to say? regina coeli hallBy AgnosticPreachersKid Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0. student centerBy AgnosticPreachersKid Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, churchBy AgnosticPreachersKid (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (, mens dorm By AgnosticPreachersKid (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (, sealBy Niall ODonnell (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (. From what I understand, the school has only gotten worse. Do this by bringing up older, isolated issues and make it sound like the college has done next to nothing to improve. 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. Teresa, if the school is a place to strengthen ones faith, but they have a history of taking rape and assault lightly, then what does that example say about the Catholic institutions ability to accurately guard and present the faith to these students? Holy crap, anonymous. It has nothing to do with thinking that drinking is worse than sexual assault. Christendom is not perfect, as far as I can tell, they are doing the best they can to foster an environment of spiritual and educational growth. I was struggling with my sexuality and trying to flee from the fact that I was gay and ended up doing so by going to grad school at the Dominican House of Studies in DC while I discerned joining the OP as a novice. Is it supported by super-strength body language? Protected: Episode 64: Sing with me, pooperellas! By whose definition are they adults? All the fancy theology was useless for anything except further torturing myself for not being a good enough Catholic, not following the rules enough, and not being spiritual enough. In what world is this okay? Smith said. All rights reserved. Thats America. All we know is that they did some kind of inquiry and issued that statement. 2) The schools which do not have PDA rules, or whose rules are less strict still have rape. I dont think beyond reasonable doubt is a necessary criterion in such a situation. Carroll remained as president until 1985 when Dr. Damian Fedoryka was named as the second president. You may not have read porn, but what you wrote is beyond appropriate. And victims have the right to be taken seriously, to not be dismissed. Thank you for writing this. Its not just about getting justice for victims or punishing perpetrators, its about HOW the institution responds to allegations and the environment the institution fosters to start with. Outrage, anger and sadness swept across the city as elected officials processed the racist . Others have already addressed most of my concerns here though I would point out sexual assault is something that must be reported promptly. Sexual assault by a Catholic homeschooler happened to a person very close to me just recently here in FR. 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. The other allegations against him were also by hearsay, and they put those allegations in writing and asked him to defend himself. Actually, if you read what the new sexual assault policy is, it is much more than Smith claims.
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