Dorman, who no longer works for Christendom, did not respond to requests for an interview for this story. Her GPA slipped to 1.2. The idea is that if you dont have make out places, youll get rape places. To find out more about Student Achievement at Christendom, click here. 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. unless you are a member of the clergy etc YOU ARE IN THE SECULAR WORLD. Students who go to remote areas are by-passing safe, public places where they could engage in the PDA behavior you complain is banned on campus. Your opening arguments point to the dorm situation on campus as a cause for a students rape. Next came many months of frustration for the Smith family. That isnt acceptable, even in secular workplaces, and is a breathtaking accusation. In 2010, after the church sex abuse scandal, the air force academy sexual assault scandal, among others, its horrendously negligent not to have these policies. Lol there was the one time I said I was suicidal youll go to hell he replied I dont care I responded your psychotic he said. 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. Same thing with the dress code. When I tried to figure out what had happened, I would say, He had sex with me, but I didnt, she said. This has been mine. Los Angeles City Councilmember resigns after leaked racist remarks. How insulting is this point of view: all men will rape given the right kind of no.. I went there to study with him, not go to Franciscan so much. Should rapists be burned at the stake without incontrovertible evidence? You clearly didnt read my comments carefully. The last thing Christendom needs is a kangaroo court that believes everything that comes out of accusers mouths. O'Donnell's biggest building contribution was the new Chapel of Christ the King, which he promised in his inaugural address as president. 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. Glad to hear everyone still hates those fountains. Yes, I can see now how that should be a good rule of thumb. If that happens, hopefully the young lady will have a CRKT S.P.E.W. 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. No is no is no. Youve been completely infected by the porn saturated culture we live in. She was not treated properly from a Catholic perspective nor from an institutional perspective. If it was patently false, the college would have grounds for a law suit. When I was in the middle school (age 12-15 in my country), there was that one super religious girl in my class. Why not with the rape? However, a private institution has some flexibility in such matters, and it is not entirely dependent upon the acts of civil authorities. 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. 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). Would you like to explain, please, what you mean by inaccuracies? The college also acquired the Notre Dame Institute during O'Donnell's tenure. Not a one that I knew. To think that anyone could do that to such a young child is eye-opening indeed, and helpful to know for those of us raising kids to know what to beware of. 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. Here is another crazy thought. 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. Required fields are marked *. On Racism and Cancel Culture - Cardinal Newman Society On one hand, you bring to mind memories of a pleasant campus full of greenery, of friendly PG-rated friends and conversations, of sitting in the common room on my laptop, of feeling like all was right with the world inside your little bubble. So you know how safe it felt and looked. Have you seen the alleged rape rate at those colleges that DO accept federal funds?? Let your no mean no and your yes mean yes. 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. And I think hearing the other side is always critical. She is very careful not to mention the perpetrators name without permission, but this courtesy given to the attacker is not given to any of the teachers and staff at the school. Sure. Today a new wave of aggressive secularism is attempting to sweep away the roots and reasons for your faith. Misogyny is woven deep into the schools culture. Explore Christendom College's 105,099 photos on Flickr! . Her phrasing seems to imply that there was no second year at this secular college. If it was truly necessary that students seek sexual/affection outlets, then I dont blame Cdom for wanting to have no part in policing or monitoring, how far is too far. Chastity is their moral prerogative and they would rather err on the side of caution than participate. Around 540 undergraduate students are enrolled at the university. Well, yes and no. christendom college racism. 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. I, a female, was molested at 10 by a female with power who was near to my age (but who wielded unequal power to me). 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 (. But I also understand how difficult this whole situation becomes for Christendom, having no evidence whatsoever. It should do better. 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. The matters of consent and power (and agency and autonomy) are at play here with parents as well as with dating relationships. What parent would not yank their child from that situation immediately? If it isnt its that much harder for anyone to investigate or deal with. Disclosing abuse and its aftermath is painful and difficult, and it takes a tremendous amount of courage. we have reports that indicate that you have violated the Code of Student Conduct by harassing another student Another student instructed you to leave her alone but you continued. Fedoryka, through his contacts in the Vatican, brought the college into contact with then-Pope John Paul II, who later told Carroll that Christendom "was doing a great work for the Church. That's no coincidence. There was no mention of her accusation of rape, either in the charge letter or in the sanction letter. If only for the sake of that important virtue diversity shouldnt there be ONE school in the country that has these rules for those who CHOOSE to attend? 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.. 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. And one of the most glaring incidents you chose to report on didnt even occur on campus, it occurred 30 minutes away. Thats certainly not Christendoms fault. The facts state otherwise. . Respectfully, I must disagree with your recollection . I dont know what the college should have done or not done. Therefore, you are being charged with violating the Code of Student Conduct., A disciplinary conference was scheduled for July 28 of 2011. By driving students off campus, the school is making the students, especially women, more vulnerable. Most of secular culture righteously denounces rape, and praises consent. i believe that the world outside of CC understands that sexual assault has many./.. an infinite number of manifestations. christendom college racism johnny juzang nba draft stock 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 student handbook now includes a sexual assault policy. Like Christendom, Thomas Aquinas College (TAC) in Santa Paula, Calif., is one of many small Catholic liberal arts colleges well known for faithfulness to the magisterium. LEARN MORE. The idea of reporting her rape scared Smith. Seriously. No does not mean yes. No doesnt mean I still want to. And I think the criticism of the PDA policy is quite apt. 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. Holy crap, anonymous. Because these issues are so very serious, and it would be negligent to look the other way. It specifically mentions witnesses. 3) Reinforce this impression with nebulous allegations of serious problems in the current environment. What policy would you advocate? Right to present a defense OR NOT. I must charitably assume (another term I learned there) this must have been chaste, but it still looked extremely odd. They havent apologized for the harm caused by their negligence in failing to treat these matters as serious. jlhyacintha wrote: A school can also take rape allegations seriously, and remove the accused person from campus. Thank you for this perspective. As alumni claim sexual assault is mishandled, Christendom College vows It is this women have to hold men accountable standard that fails the college. are honey nut cheerios high in oxalates. Ive always thought that would be delightful and I graduated in 2000 from Christendom. No matter what your belief now, or if you have no belief at all. But the job of the press would be to make me out a liar, Smith said, noting that rape victims often find the trial to be more traumatizing than the actual event. Smith continued to call the school after graduation to see if they had changed the policy. Yes they would hang out in more open areas because they could be openly affectionate. 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. This is such a difficult and upsetting situation it is helpful to read your perspective. In all likelihood it would not have happened on campus because they would not have been alone together. [13], Since 1992, student enrollment has grown from 144 undergraduates to nearly 550 students, not including graduate school students. She developed Crohns disease, a disease exacerbated by severe stress. I had been a virgin. Im only speaking from experience to illustrate what I see as a very nebulous scenario for both parties. I will say that no professor I had ever backed up this position, but neither did I see them fight to overturn it. She says that the rules against romantic public displays of affection were so restrictive, it drove couples off campus. But when he started putting his hand inside her shirt, she told him No, and pushed his hand away. Are you seriously suggesting universities ban men from campus who are accused of rape with no proof and without an accuser who is even willing to go to the police or a local hospital for a rape kit exam, etc. Ya got me! the Administration could and should have done better here. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. And no. This sounds like a solution I would expect from a small school, where something major is placed on them. Your email address will not be published. I dont think beyond reasonable doubt is a necessary criterion in such a situation. If she feels so strongly about it now and is willing to come out publicly and smear the College, bring him forward as well. I think rape should be a clearly defined and promulgated capital crime so there would be fewer instances and false allegations. Drove, Juana. 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. Goodbye, Christendom College. I dont doubt that injustices have been done in the past and will be done in the future: this is a fallen world. Up until that point, I considered myself fairly knowledgeable, she said. Oh, this was before cellphones. But I want to illustrate the difficulty in really navigating the issue of consent and assault. Of course, the university wouldnt be so tactless: thats the engineer in me coming out. 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. FORTIFYING A COLLEGE THAT PROUDLY REJECTS FEDERAL AID. There were crazy people, there were priests who dispensed truly awful guidance in spiritual direction. As Uncle Ben says in Spiderman with great power comes great responsibility. Lets wake up, embrace our responsibility, and as Jordan Peterson would say sort ourselves out. None of this is said to let young men of the hook. Her point is absolutely credible and relevant. Whose testimony is more consistent and believable? But honestly what is Smith talking about when she refers to the only cafe in town?? Simcha does that, see? Hurt by Catholics? People are fallible and improvements can always be made but Im sorry, how would anyone miss that rape falls into the category of mortal sin .and yes Moral Theology is covered freshman year. They have a right to speak about the crimes committed against them. It doesnt make sense to me. Grad school was a very supportive environment for me in a number of ways. Then he tried it again, and I pushed his hand away, and said, Please, I dont want to do that. He said, Okay. Then he tried a third time, she said. You cant tell a Catholic girl to be suspicious of her fellow (male) students because that would make her a man-hating feminazi. 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? If you admit to being a feminist, well, you might as well admit to worshipping Baal. An article about how a college should have handled a horrible rape situation better should not be couched in the fact that the college has separate dorms. Accustomed to a large, sociable, extended family, she knew Christendom would be conservative, but was bemused by the strict segregation of males and females. They re-wrote the handbook over the summer? In April of 2011, Smith decided to tell the police about the rape. It took all of her strength not to drive off the mountain. complicated memories of the place. Be a patron of the (f)arts! Domino's Pizza founder Tom Monaghan donated 19th Century wooden stations of the cross to the Chapel, and it was dedicated by Cardinal Jan Schotte, Pope John Paul II's Secretary-General to the World Synod of Bishops. Shes taken a lot of crap from that quarter and it would be a misuse of her great gift of writing to use it as payback. I cant relate myself, but I hope youre doing well now! Actually, if you read what the new sexual assault policy is, it is much more than Smith claims. There was no announcement or notification given to students to be cautious or to keep an eye out for strangers on campus. It is also about how Christendom needs to have safe, open, visible places on campus for men and women to interact. Strolling hand in hand, allowed. Her subsequent behavior is entirely consistent with that of someone who has been traumatized and assaulted. Miriel. I am astounded that the article says rapist rather than alleged rapist. 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. The young man then started unbuttoning her jeans, and she again told him No. He pulled her down so she was flat on the back seat. And meanwhile, you get a certain thrill from seeing that now youve unleashed his passion and he DOES love you a la folie. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Carroll decided not to accept federal funding at the college, choosing instead to rely on generous benefactors. It is not the victims terrible story that we dont believe, it is just the illogical conclusions that the author jumps to and the careless damage she is causing that are wrong. Enjoy your sparkles. Liked it? I would go down the road to the convenience store, and hed be sitting outside, and I couldnt walk in. Well said. 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. The fact that you think men are walking around Christendoms campus grabbing at womens arses and nobody does anything because their is a boys will be boys attitude just shows how naive you are. I think theres definitely room for improvement in the colleges dealings, but as DCLM already made clear, the school was being asked to provide a parallel court, which is not easy. The article makes the following claim without proof or attribution, and it has been contended with by several students, But current students and alumni say the school has a boys will be boys attitude which allows the male students to harass and grab at the women. No more specifics are given, but the implication is that men are allowed to grab womens arses, etc., without repercussion even to their reputations. Good. How can a school prevent a student from going off campus to rape another? 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. Furthermore, it is alleged that you continued to harass her by trying to provoke her to slap you, hit you or kiss you. The other allegations against him were also by hearsay, and they put those allegations in writing and asked him to defend himself. Christendom College, a small, Catholic, liberal arts school in Front Royal Virginia, celebrated its 40th anniversary last year. The administration handled a tough situation, that had no evidence supporting the claims of the girl, as best as can be expected. In addition: Christendom is welcome, indeed it would be very good, if they could give an accurate list of the inaccuracies and mistakes in this article. [12] Construction began in 1992, and was completed in 1995. I was at Saint Marys in South Bend and we had a student body of about 1,500, tops. An authentically Catholic college that prepares you for the future The cultural revolution of the twentieth century continues to take its toll on the world and on Catholic higher education. I also disagree with your assessment that author doesnt have a clear stance on whether the student should have been expelled. When the administration said they would look into the matter, it seems like thats exactly what they did. nor were the other women I know who hung out with them. Undergraduate students combine a liberal arts core-curriculum with eventual upper-level courses in their major field (or fields) of study. Which, I dont suppose I have any obligation to do, but its unfair to simply expect the school to just automatically presume the worst. 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. They know they are not as upstanding as they would like. Contact the Site Admin. What is to blame there?? These are very serious accusations, and the reporting does not match the seriousness of those charges. I wasn't really prepared for the amount of raw heresy I was surrounded with. . If I didnt know better (and you know, I actually dont) it sounds like you dont like Christendoms brand of Catholicism, and so youre more than happy to treat them unfairly from your rapidly shrinking bully pulpit, using the #metoo zeitgeist to do your dirty work. Having said that, the culture on campus is not what caused the rape. ), Master of Arts (M.A. That comment So goes the other way. 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. Why not with the rape? They could end abortion, and poverty, and racism, and poor educational opportunities, and lack of jobs, and poor housing, and nepotism in the local government, and drug use among teens, and unresponsive bureaucracies, and lousy healthcare in the local hospital, and the high cost of medicine locally, and the massive local traffic jams on peepers weekends. Like that has never happened before on a less stringent campus. It was usually fairly evident who those people were and if you didnt want trouble, you stayed out of their circle. The school does not accept federal funding. He RETIRED a year or so ago. Along with converting I made friends with a bunch of conservative catholics (not trads, but your typical intellectual ratzinger fan types). Was there ever a police report filed? They explained to her that a prosecutor would take her case, but that the chances of going to trial, much less of the young man being prosecuted, were very low. Thank you! That is exactly what you are saying, men cant control themselves so woman have to. The College offers two/three daily Masses; daily Confession, Rosary, and Eucharistic adoration; and celebrates together many liturgical and cultural feasts. Inaccuracies did not have to do with Miss Smiths heartbreaking account. Our Staff - Christendom College Same sex dorms is considered strict segregation?
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