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Christendom College was gestated in the womb of, Student sexual assault and harassment allegations, Christendom College Graduate School of Theology, See Ibby Caputo and Jon Marcus, "The Controversial Reason Some Religious Colleges Forgo Federal Funding,", The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, The John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family, The Founding, the Building, and the Glory of Christendom College, "A History of Christendom College | Christendom College", "About Federal Funding | Christendom College", ":: Christendom College News and Events:: The Origins of Christendom College", "Rankings & Endorsements | Christendom College", "A Catholic university providing undergraduate and graduate degrees in a vibrantly Catholic environment | Franciscan University of Steubenville", "Christendom Launches 45th Anniversary Year with Record Enrollment", "Christendom Defies National Enrollment Trend, Implements Waiting List", "Undergraduate Faculty | Christendom College", "White House 'College Scorecard' shuts out conservative schools", "Christendom College to Dedicate New Chapel Next April", "Pope St. John Paul II Meets with Christendom College", "The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College", "Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas delivers the commencement address at Christendom College", https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/07/the-controversial-reason-some-religious-colleges-forgo-federal-funding/490253/, "Are women safe in Christendom's bubble? Guess the best cure for christianity is learning what christianity is actually about. Yeah, that seems to be the atmosphere of Catholic higher education in my experience; a lot of the people there are trying to be good and do the right thing (as they see it), but the system as a whole is irredeemably flawed, and it covers up those people who are downright malicious. But when someone stated they were raped, you do not tell them oh come on, you gave in to the thrill more than the fear. I eventually burned out on the whole experience around senior year, though it took me until after I graduated to actually question the foundations of the faith I'd spent the last four years pounding into my head (and even longer to finally LEAVE it, but that's another story). I think people in leadership positions, especially those who are tasked with ensuring the safety of communities, have to man up and make difficult decisions sometimes, even at the risk of being regarded as unfair. Is that whats happening right now?'. Could the students be provided with more places to hang out together in small groups? 2) If the college does anything to improve, dont actually describe their efforts in the article. I hope and pray that the uncovering of these wrongs will enable the college to properly apologize and make amends for their failures. Adele has no bad girl reputation on campus. Students werent forced off campus to have sex; they always found some place to do it, even if it was in a medieval dungeon. Im sorry, but your logic is misconstrued here. If that happens, hopefully the young lady will have a CRKT S.P.E.W. Sexual assault happens to 1-6 women. This sounds like a solution I would expect from a small school, where something major is placed on them. A Catholic institution should have taken an accusation of serious sin much more seriously, and should have treated an accuser with far more charity. Another day, while other students played some sort of game on campus, the young man approached her and began to insist that she slap him across the face. We contacted the young man and he has not yet responded, so we are not using his name at this time. I just dont think they could afford it. 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. Gary Althen, the editor of the campus paper, refused to apologize for running the article, writing an editorial in which he explained that he himself "hated his country, and had learned to hate it at the University of Colorado.". Theyre usually published in any article Ive ever read regarding assault. Catholic apologists will be perma banned without warning. The school determined the young man was responsible for the violation of Harassment.. You keep going. I must charitably assume (another term I learned there) this must have been chaste, but it still looked extremely odd. The idea of reporting her rape scared Smith. The Semester in Rome includes a continuation of the College's core curriculum program for juniors (THEO 301 Moral Theology during the Fall; and THEO 302 Apologetics in the spring), as well as courses in Italian, Roman Art & Architecture, and the Language, Culture, and History of Rome. Yes, there were party girls at SMC. As far as our criminal judicial system people are innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. More concern for an institution than for victims. Its not about gender expectations as much as it is about power and CONSENT, period, from anyone to anyone. Rape is always absolutely horrific and of course a criminal offense. In April of 2011, Smith decided to tell the police about the rape. A private institution that is not subject to federal collegiate regulations has such flexibility. Why insinuate the government is going to do it better. i left the Catholic Church a couple years later and now have a useless Theology degree (imagine what I could have spent the money on instead xD) but at least im happy and living my life freely! Is it worse to let a rapist remain on campus or expel an innocent student? Honestly, that is all I hear for the first half of the article. What is to blame there?? There was no mention of her accusation of rape, either in the charge letter or in the sanction letter. It seems they pushed for this charge as there was an actual witness, perhaps more, to that specific behavior. 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.. 237: Creative naan compliance, Special Valentines FREE Episode: 20 things we hated about FIREPROOF, Protected: Podcast #65: Sometimes goat is just not GOAT. 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. The administration handled a tough situation, that had no evidence supporting the claims of the girl, as best as can be expected. Ask any psychologist who works with seminarians how many enter the seminary struggling in a battle against pornography. This is part of the problem: college kids are not children but adults with agency to make decisions for their life. A journalist should protect his good name until he is proven guilty, but the school should not? I said the college had an obligation to investigate by questioning him directly (in a private setting) about the rape. 2) The schools which do not have PDA rules, or whose rules are less strict still have rape. 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. Not a rapist. It would do a lot to restore peoples faith in the institution. You could have discussed it without illustrating it so clearly. . This whole story made me so sad, especially reading it as a Christendom graduate and now mother who is raising sons and daughters in this confused and fallen world. You might think to yourself, as Miss Smith did for example, Is this really happening? with 50% terror and 50% thrill. Here he was accused of rape, but they got him on harassment to be banned from the campus. Now, 10 years later, she popped on my fb board, so I checkes her up. Enjoy your sparkles. This article does not do justice to the universitys apparent efforts to remain impartial, while also considering how to better serve women who have been raped. She returned the car to her friend, went back to her dorm, sat down in the shower fully clothed, and cried. Just to hold hands, theyd go off campus for a date; and by off campus, it could in be in the woods, or in a field down the road. Tweets. Lol, they arent bound by such conventions! There are legal ramifications to asserting guilt and punishment against someone with zero evidence other than heresay. Graduates can choose from three theological concentrations: Systematic Theology, Moral Theology, and Catechetics. It felt like a human zoo.. PDA rules that no longer exist, criticizing faculty that no longer are there? Well said. I am so sad you had to live through that. we could! Im not saying that the accused should have been expelled. 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. Im a current female student at Christendom, class of 2020, and I feel safe on campus. Furthermore, it is alleged that you continued to harass her by trying to provoke her to slap you, hit you or kiss you. Hes not stopping. 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. . We can use this process to address inappropriate comments or unreasonable behavior that makes students feel uncomfortable. All I can say is, be happy the shackles are gone. Your point is that you disagree and you dont like her shining a journalistic light onto this mess. College disciplinary boards, however, can set whatever standards they want, especially a completely independent institution like Christendom. Front Royal Police told her it was out of their jurisdiction, since it had happened in a national park. 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. [12], The college's Junior Semester in Rome program was established in 2002. Wonder how thats working on all those great secular and Catholic-in-name only colleges that dont have those stupid single-sex dorm rules and have open alcohol and drug use in the dorms and on campus. Their response was a poor excuse for an apology. Im only speaking from experience to illustrate what I see as a very nebulous scenario for both parties. The fact that they used a separate situation to impose a restriction on him should give you a sense of how they had to act within their own evidentiary boundaries to avoid being sued. 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. we have reports that indicate that you have violated the Code of Student Conduct by harassing another student and causing emotional harm. I can understand completely the reasons behind not having visitors of the opposite sex in the dorms, however the upstairs magazine reading room in the library was also dubbed the Romeo and Juliet room since couples would go there to make out. I felt him, she said. How about holding the US Government responsible since theyre the ones that oversee Skyline? If she simply made an error in judgment and regretted the decision, she would be stating she had sex and lost her virginity before she planned to. From what I understand, the school has only gotten worse. Simchas piece was very specific. no government financial help??? 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.. However, I was a student at Christendom and nothing could be further from a boys will be boys culture on campus regarding sexual assault. Or even if he left Front Royal, this would not guarantee the safety of other women. 2023 Christendom College. Just like all men who overpower women should, personally Id like to know if he grew up in a Novus Ordo mass if we are going to start taking these types of potshots.and if his parents did too.. When someone returns to campus drunk there is solid proof, and it is easy to immediately punish the person for the offense. : Any other apostate Cdom grads out there, or anyone with a relatable experience of Catholic higher education? I left at the end of my freshman year (wouldve been class of 17 if I stayed). Basically, Christendom University has set up a parallel court system to try these cases and determine guilt outside of the civil court system. Its hard to explain why my GPA is so poor.. #2. letter kind of reminds me of sessions of my 8th grade social dancing classes The statute of limitations for rape in the state of VA is 20 years (unless I am mistaken). Easier said than done, of course. Ugh, how vile. I graduated in 08, did I know him? I clearly understood in that moment that Christendom College did not care about the safety of its students. [2] It still occupies this site today. That is not the case at all with rape. Its portrayed here as poorly as possible but you cant just go ruining guys lives like this. I left the church partially because of this problem (and several other more severe issues). He started kissing her. 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. There are so many other choices that dont have these rules. As a woman, a student, and a human being I am respected. I cant get into grad school with my GPA. [12] Needing a major gift to launch the project, O'Donnell prayed with then-Executive Vice President Mark McShurley for help and, within 30 minutes of praying together, an anonymous donor called to pledge $250,000 to the Chapel fund. Smith and her family were floored. My sympathies. FORTIFYING A COLLEGE THAT PROUDLY REJECTS FEDERAL AID. Christendom College offers an amazing Liberal Arts education that is immersed in the Catholic Faith. Christendom College does not receive federal funding, and so is not subject to Title IX regulations, which would legally require it to respond to and remedy hostile educational environments. Sexual harassment and assault is inimical to such an environment. However, I avoided the professors whose reputation for being ultra-trad proceeded them as much as possible. For example, the articke states that Prof. Marshner no longer works at the school, as if he left due to this scenario. I was at Saint Marys in South Bend and we had a student body of about 1,500, tops. It only works with Weinstein and Cosby because there were like 30+ allegations. Before I went to Christendom I was the head of my diocesan youth council, so to say I was active in my faith was an understatement. We will continue to do so in fidelity to our mission: to restore all things in Christ. Never tell a rape or assault victim that consent is nebulous. 2,933 Followers. Some of those rapists are in places like Christendom, places you would think would be safe, you know, like the company of priests when you are an altar boy. 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. 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. That takes a lot of strength to write to them like that. Theres still a problem of not having places to have on campus dates. He also told some students that she pulled a knife and forced him into sexual acts. There was one guy who was self-insulated to the point where he was delusionally hostile toward everything "worldly". It was the same with the guys open house, except theyd have TVs and video games. Six months after graduation, the members of the Class of 2022 had an overall success rate of 98.9%, based on a survey with a 100% knowledgerate. The only other thing I remember is going shooting with a bunch of students, including women in skirts. Required fields are marked *. This story was researched and reported by Damien and Simcha Fisher. Every Novus Ordo girl I know knows better than to get in the backseat of a parked car with a guy unless they are willing to risk rape. What was he going to say? You may not have read porn, but what you wrote is beyond appropriate. I cant relate myself, but I hope youre doing well now! In all likelihood it would not have happened on campus because they would not have been alone together. 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. 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. In this period, members of the Christian clergy wield political authority. The Colleges Front Royal campus overlooks the Shenandoah River with scenic views of the neighboring Blue Ridge Mountains. 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. Same sex dorms is considered strict segregation? 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.. Again, this is the convenient thing about being a private institution: you can act in seemingly arbitrary ways in order to achieve what you know to be the common good. The Dean or an RA could drive out and get you.