I hope the girls involved will know that sharing what happened will help others. No one doubts that passion is difficult, that lust is strong and difficult to master. I have no doubt that this faith will do the same for each of you if you let it, and perhaps even if you dont. His punishment: He could not live on campus for one semester, and he could not contact Adele Smith. 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). She did go to the police. In all likelihood it would not have happened on campus because they would not have been alone together. Oh ladies, Im so sorry you had to deal with that attitude for any length of time. Umm okay? Students werent forced off campus to have sex; they always found some place to do it, even if it was in a medieval dungeon. She links to it directly! I wasn't really prepared for the amount of raw heresy I was surrounded with. Christendom is NOT in the Arctic Circle. 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. the men of tis campus are filled with a joy in being a gentleman to every girl. (frankly, my dear, i would stay clear of all of those guys. Students are prohibited from doing something reasonable on campus. They have a right to speak about the crimes committed against them. Catholic apologists will be perma banned without warning. Thanks for writing this- I hope the college considers educating more students on assault and consent. Racism among white Christians is higher than among the nonreligious. 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? It was the same with the guys open house, except theyd have TVs and video games. Few go this far and remain unharmed. Podcast #57: And then the internet took off. Because Simcha has an ax to grind. You may think thats not what Simcha is actually advocating for, but her complaint comes across as about as realistic. How can young people be prepared to succeed and keep the Faith in such a world? Its handling of the case may not have been malicious, but it was certainly pusillanimous. Most couples are friends of other couples and all hang out together both on campus and off campus. The semester also includes a week's pilgrimage to Assisi and Siena as well as a trip to Florence. They say your views are dangerous, hateful, fearful, or racist . The culture on campus protects you from being raped on campus, which is why this incident took place off site. There is much that reeks of shoddy reporting in these two pieces: basically only one side was presented when the facts were right in front of the Fishers (e.g., through the current student handbook and interviewees). My inclination is that this was rape and the man is guilty. 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. Class of '13 here, BA in History, Magna cum Laude. ), Protected: Podcast #48: Accidentally unnamed, Protected: Podcast #46: Mamas little snakey loves bananofee pie, Protected: Podcast #45: Sharples and cocaine, Protected: Podcast 44: Some degree of martyrdom, One long dad joke: My interview with EOTTs S.C. Naoum. I remember clearly two instances where a professor I respected and a male friend who I valued told me to my face that women were inferior in ability and authority to men and ought to accept that. The school does not accept federal funding. The perpetrator denied the charge vigorously, and dr. Marshner was simply trying to help a student in need. Her hatred for Christendom is glaring. I remember hanging out with some of them. Smith claims they are dangerous. Christendom College admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. No, it takes opening a word document and writing it up: Dont rape people.. This is such a difficult and upsetting situation it is helpful to read your perspective. Can we PLEASE stop framing this as something between women and men and acknowledge that assault and coercion also happen between men and between women, as well as from women to men? She felt frozen and could not reply. [28] College President Timothy O'Donnell acknowledged victims in an official statement, saying, "We have failed some of our students. Did you read where she said no to his hand in her shirt? Does the handbook have to repeat the entire criminal code? How about holding the US Government responsible since theyre the ones that oversee Skyline? It was usually fairly evident who those people were and if you didnt want trouble, you stayed out of their circle. A current professor (Dr. McGuire) who was actually involved in the Adele alleged rape case has come forward in the comments and stated things that were done to help Adele that the Fishers never reported on. 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. jlhyacintha wrote: A school can also take rape allegations seriously, and remove the accused person from campus. He sat beside her and began to make small talk, putting his hand on her leg. O.o. Its hard to explain why my GPA is so poor.. The rape occurred on Friday, October 2, 2009, on Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park, about thirty minutes away from the college campus. Protected: Podcast #15: Completely Meat Chocolate Pie, Protected: Podcast #14: I wish I had a whip. 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. "[29][30] This statement has since been removed from the college website. I think both sexes can rise to a greater standard. [3] In 2002, Fr. Or are you saying that governmental control might make this sinful/violent act not happen. It was a good conversation, to this day he is one of the only people I've spoken with in real life who I think truly understood the problem and its implications. That is different from critiquing the PDA policy and segregated dorms. [33] The college hired Husch-Blackwell to audit campus compliance with best practices in sexual assault and harassment cases, although it is not bound to do so by Title IX as the College does not accept federal funding of Title IV. )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%. In 2018, while delivering the Commencement Address for Christendom, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas said, This is a wonderful, wonderful, college a decidedly Catholic college, and I am decidedly and unapologetically Catholic. Your charity is overwhelming. Exactly as DCNM said: NOT QUOTED OR DESCRIBED. I hope and pray that the uncovering of these wrongs will enable the college to properly apologize and make amends for their failures. Christendom College. A family member of mine is a graduate and while at Christendom, knew a few students that went to the police about sexual assault. 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. Christendom College University of Toronto-Regis College Experience Priest in Residence Christendom College Oct 2021 - Present1 year 2 months Assistant Professor Santa Clara University Sep. Our time-tested integrated liberal arts education is the ideal education for the future. And boy, you are right. These are Catholic seminarians. She took refuge in one of the buildings until he left as he obviously meant her harm. Sounds great. The students views, whether they arrived with them or picked them up at Christendom, were wildly sexist both men and women. I remember him once going on a rant about how tattoos are marks of psychological disorder and moral perversion. DCNM, can you please explain a context, any context, in which that quote isnt damning? If you presume that because Catholic teaching is against rape, that must mean that theyre able to appropriately address rape allegations, I think the fault is in your expectation and the reality of the situation, but not the school itself. 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.. Smith, who was then a sophomore, says she was so naive, she didnt even know to use the word rape until many months later. I am very sorry to hear of any sexual assault and it can happen in Front Royal. This way of thinking is part of the problem and how dare you try and equate her rape with a cheap romance novel script. Sure. Its portrayed here as poorly as possible but you cant just go ruining guys lives like this. We need to hear you and your experience. I left at the end of my freshman year (wouldve been class of 17 if I stayed). Christendoms 86-hour core curriculum of carefully selected subjects required for all of its undergraduate students prepares its students for their role as lay apostles. Religious Affiliation:Roman CatholicYear Founded:1977Degrees:Associate of Arts (A.A.), Bachelor of Arts (B.A. It has nothing to do with thinking that drinking is worse than sexual assault. Gross means the opposite of minor. 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. He then began approaching and provoking her on campus. 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. You have just illustrated the way of thinking that is a big problem: women being taught that they are responsible for mens actions. Sexual harassment and assault is inimical to such an environment. i am beginning to wonder if it really exists or is just a figment of a perverted imagination. [19], Christendom College has received notable attention from members of the Catholic Church since its founding in 1977, including from Pope John Paul II. The problems with rape at Christendom are the problems with rape anywhere. And so on. She said all of that, and you are intelligent enough to have reading comprehension. Yes! The criticism is directed towards how the school handled the matter after the legal authorities failed. Smiths parents also drove the four hundred miles to meet with the dean, hoping to encourage him to take the charges against their daughters rapist seriously. There are more than a few other academic institutions whose rates of rape and sexual assault are much higher and/or go under-reported. My sympathies. Holding hands, a warm hug, perhaps even a peck on the cheek totally sins against chastity. 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. You shooting in the dark hoping to hit a target, isnt helping. Its something I can share with bubble parents. Easier said than done, of course. That is a fundamental principle of justice. https://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/at-the-edge/2015/11/18/rape-on-college-campuses-nearly-1-in-6-freshmen-women-are-assaulted. It seems to me that men who lure women into back seats of cars in secluded places would have an even easier time saying Hey, come up to my room to watch a movie. With the roommate being already asked to give them privacy. The comparison between rape and public drunkenness is egregiously unfair. Lol, they arent bound by such conventions! Hardly anyone went down there for any good reason; it was the closest thing to a crypt. I understand it is difficult to do so, but if justice is to be served publicly, accusations must be made in public. It doesnt make sense to me. We Dare to be Great. [in loco parentis] is not a phrase that I use with any frequency, ODonnell wrote toward the end of his letter to Scott Smith. I knew sooner or later someone would bring up the Novus Ordo Mass. A change.org petition in support of O'Donnell was signed by over 1,000 people. Rather, the incident apparently occurred in a national park several miles away from Christendoms campus, ODonnell wrote in his letter to Scott Smith. I still have a lot of tenderness for those guys, deep down, even if my larger experience with the church has made me hostile toward Catholicism generally, and deeply cynical about the priesthood. With this goal in mind, the College utilizes single-sex dormitories, visitation policies to promote chastity, planned weekly events as a way to proactively promote sobriety and counter any temptation toward a drinking scene, and spiritual programs to foster students prayer lives and spirituality.. Like that has never happened before on a less stringent campus. Its not a matter of my comfort. Its a matter of seeking the common good. As part of this commitment, the College undertakes to educate the student body about sexual harassment and assault. Protected: Podcast 3dunno: Even Wilder Turkey! The young man left Christendom in Smiths senior year. Justice, and not just criminal secular justice, but justice from our institutions, is a part of Catholic moral theology. In 2021, the rugby team won the National Collegiate Rugby Cohen Cup National Championship in Houston, Texas, defeating New Mexico Tech. And what possible jurisdiction would the college have for activity that did not take place on its property?

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