Enjoy your sparkles. Forgettable as most commencement addresses are, I remember yours clearly, Scott Smith wrote to ODonnell. It took about a month to find a solution, which given the resources for the investigation, makes perfect sense considering theyre not a team of forensic scientists with knowledge of legal prosecutions. The college now employs more than 40 full-time faculty members,[16] compared to the original five, along with a number of adjunct members. I believe Adeles story 100%. That is a philosophical question where I think people can legitimately disagree. The fact that students are taught that men can not say no and are nothing less than animals is degrading to the male gender and puts all responsibility on the woman without holding men accountable. People were mostly really nice, and there was this kind of lovely cocoon of ideological sameness that I'd never experienced before. This is a good thing. False accusations may be relatively rare, but they are still real. Smith texted her boyfriend the next day, saying she didnt want to see him again. Others have already addressed most of my concerns here though I would point out sexual assault is something that must be reported promptly. I see it as both. [15], The total financial assets have increased by 440%, and total plant costs have increased by 397%. You may think thats not what Simcha is actually advocating for, but her complaint comes across as about as realistic. In retrospect, the College may not have served these victims as well as we could have, and for this hurt we are truly sorry for any additional pain that this may have caused. Now with thoughts regarding sexual assault, I dont think it bad for a school to have a policy, but the presumption that that must mean they condone it, or dont care about it, isnt realistic. Im a current female student at Christendom, class of 2020, and I feel safe on campus. I emerged with my virginity intact. 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. Enjoy a visit to the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia! That being noted, it would actually makes MORE sense, and would seem MORE effective, to refuse students the option of leaving, than to allow them make out spots. 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. 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. He further harassed her, had told several of his friends that she had seduced him. Smiths grades continued to slide, and her mental and physical health suffered as students and even outsiders, people she didnt know, would approach her in the dining hall to talk about the ordeal. It seems to me that thats why they hit him with that. Graduates can choose from three theological concentrations: Systematic Theology, Moral Theology, and Catechetics. Why insinuate the government is going to do it better. We cant! Another no escapes your lips and you make another feeble effort to turn away or push his hands away. There is no thrill in rape. Then send your kids to a Jesuit school where they get free condoms. Her focus and concentration were gone. Be a patron of the (f)arts! For Damien Fisher to accuse his source Mrs. Foeckler of meaning what he wrote and not what she claims she meant is an act of astounding arrogance. Thats precisely what happened when Smith was raped by her then-boyfriend, a fellow Christendom student. "[35] Luckey was a professor at Christendom College from 1984 until he retired in 2015, according to a statement on the college's website. Because Simcha has an ax to grind. But here Christendom has done the opposite. [39] Its flexible and accommodating studies allows students of all ages and from all over the world to attend either part-time or full-time, year-round, summers-only, or winters-only, and also to study at a distance through online courses. If Front Royal is a tiny rural town, as these articles say, then a college, even a small one, is a large part of that town. Smith and her family were floored. Unfortunately, sexual assault is happening throughout the Catholic (and homeschooling) community in Front Royal, not just Christendom. Vol. 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. I can tell you personally when I read the hand holding policy I thought it was a paper rule, I had no idea the lengths of its enforcement. And I still have some fond memories of the place, even today. Since 1977, Christendom has been providing the best Catholic liberal arts education to prepare students to restore all things in Christ. A female Residence Life staff member now lives in the womens residence halls. I just dont think they could afford it. 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. Banning them from living on campus and allowing a professor to shelter them does not protect other students.. The school restraining order, if properly enforced(which I suppose to the authors credit, could very rationally be called into question), should at least be acknowledged as an attempt to guarantee her safety. Protected: Podcast #16: Reporticus Shutupicus! i Love this reply. Ive always thought that would be delightful and I graduated in 2000 from Christendom. Their donations requests are a joke. Respect and honor for women was at the heart Christs mission and therefore it is at the heart of the mission of Christendom College. 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. 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. There are so many other choices that dont have these rules. ), 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. It would be difficult for Christendom to have a fuller Catholic identity. I had seen already something was wrong, something had happened, Foeckler said. Neither of which am I suggesting. It is also questionable whether colleges and universities are equipped to handle such investigations internally. Yet, it is offered without proof of any sort, or even a source willing to go on record. This response sounds like a trolling hay day, so if thats what you were going for, good job! Let your no mean no and your yes mean yes. I felt safe there. 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. There is a feeling of disillusionment for many, even those who stay. "[25], Over the years, the college has also received praise from political leaders in the United States. The way I see it, and many may disagree with this, but the failure was not a moral failure, but an administerial one(if that). The upperclassmen represntives of what Christendom molded you into slapped my hand away. I remember loving the lushness of the area. From its founding, Christendom College has rejected federal funding. I currently attend Christendom. But at the same time, Christendom was a dream in a bubble. If the regulations force people to leave campus to kiss, then they are actually encouraging the kinds of situations that make assault more likely to occur even while they discourage it in other ways. Sin and error should be brought into the light so that Christ can heal them. Grad school was a very supportive environment for me in a number of ways. He kept saying, Hit me. He kept grabbing my hand and trying to make me slap him, Smith said. we could! 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. For me, I recoil when I think of the frankly horrible things I used to say and believe, especially to LGBTQ+ people. Thats America. duplicitous. We should demand it be better. It doesnt make sense to me. She in now posting anti-church, pro-LGBTQ, pro-choice etc stuff. I believe in my day there was one security guard who wandered around at night with a flashlight, and that was it. Asking questions are really good thing if you Simchas husband, Damien, proceeded to imply that she was lying and has contented multiple times that her quote was not taken out of context. When someone returns to campus drunk there is solid proof, and it is easy to immediately punish the person for the offense. [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. 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. Dr. Timothy T. ODonnell If Simcha cant openly accuse the guy of rape, how can the school? Christendom College offers an amazing Liberal Arts education that is immersed in the Catholic Faith. Its not 50% excitement its 100% terror. The whole In loco parentis thing was alive and well and enforced. The molestation permanently altered the course of my life, most of all because I thought it was my fault, because coercion and sexual violation was always portrayed as something that happened from creepy men to women, and my experience didnt fit that template. This article sound like the argument for legalization of abortion: if abortion had been legal, coat-hangar abortions never would have happened. I have seen no evidence that Christendom reported the accusation. While this student should have somehow received better care, and more protection from this guy later, and while her story is heartrending, it should not be published in an article whose objective is obviously to smear the college and all the good for which it stands. These are Catholic seminarians. But he did take it away from her, she says. I kept up with a few of my friar classmates over the years. Is it possible that they could get it wrong? No one doubts that passion is difficult, that lust is strong and difficult to master. The people from Christendom would be considered heretics by hard core traditional Catholics, and by the letter of the law they would be right (at least in my view). Christendom College offers an amazing Liberal Arts education that is immersed in the Catholic Faith. President I mainly left because they wouldnt give tenure to the head of the sacred music department because he refused to teach the history of contemporary Christian music. Her parents, brother, and friends encouraged her to transfer. Can confirm. We do have a great deal of responsibility. A handbook that has to be revised and reviewed by the colleges legal team I assume? Hes the one who lives in fear of me and my devious feminine allurements, right? 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. 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. Or even if he left Front Royal, this would not guarantee the safety of other women. Read More. 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. But I also understand how difficult this whole situation becomes for Christendom, having no evidence whatsoever. I remember at one point breaking into tears talking to someone because I missed the DHS so much. Class of '13 here, BA in History, Magna cum Laude. Casting aspersions on the Fishers is an ad hominem because they cant adequately address the issue in itself. 240: Challah round the world. 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. Sexual assault by a Catholic homeschooler happened to a person very close to me just recently here in FR. Banning them from living on campus and allowing a professor to shelter them does not protect other students. 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. An authentically Catholic college that prepares you for the future. Furthermore, it is alleged that you continued to harass her by trying to provoke her to slap you, hit you or kiss you. To me that sort of practice betrays more about the motivations of the reporter than the matters on which he/she reports. 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.. Easier said than done, of course. Not a rapist. Recently, one of the priests who was a major force on campus has charged with rape of a mentally-ill woman. As for strict PDA, students are allowed reasonable PDA, but what is Fisher looking for for the students to be allowed to have sex on campus. Why not with the rape? Why? Question: are the writers christendom 2020 and sophomore girl at Christendom the same girl/ writer? the letters read to indicate the same writer. The point has also been made if a guy really is a rapist, do you think he would settle for PDA on campus anyway? Never, though, would I equate that with saying rape is OK. The young man was charismatic, well-known, and well-liked on campus. He RETIRED a year or so ago. I hate to think theyre covering up what needs to be exposed. Good job trying to romanticize rape, but your writing would be more appropriate in a pornographic novel, where creeps actually try to convince themselves women enjoy being raped. Hes obviously prideful and arrogant. Christendom offered a bulleted list of things they have done which were not reported on by the Fishers, implying that this is basically a smear campaign which is only willing to report on one side of the story. You described lust and difficulty mastering it. That is all. Protected: Podcast 33: Hes a very nice guy. Now the students may be less prepared for rape, rape that happens off campus(like a clean house doesnt prepare a person for germs), due to their sheltered background, but thats not exactly the schools fault. The colleges response is a legal response to an alleged crime. What did this mean about me in my conservative Christian culture? I want trying to make things seem like a cheap sex novel, just trying to illustrate that things can happen quickly without us really knowing what is going on, which we can later regret. Shes a hater. How can young people be prepared to succeed and keep the Faith in such a world? 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. I am not making this up. 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. Christendom College, a small, Catholic, liberal arts school in Front Royal Virginia, celebrated its 40th anniversary last year. 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. Money should not stand in the way of your dreams, Those looking at Catholic colleges frequentlyask: How can I afford this education? Whenit comes to Christendom College, the realquestion families should be asking is: Howcan I afford not to attend Christendom?. As I said, virtue thrives in the light. I want to know the rapists name. Students are, however, punished for coming back to campus drunk, even if the drinking took place off campus for instance, at The River, a popular drinking spot where even professors are known to visit and socialize. PDA rules that no longer exist, criticizing faculty that no longer are there? O'Donnell's biggest building contribution was the new Chapel of Christ the King, which he promised in his inaugural address as president. 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. Tag: racism National Congress on the Word of God: A Two-Edged Sword. 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. 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. 239: Spot the fiendish thingy, Whats for supper, vol. 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. 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? Simcha you must not be very up on your news, because from what I have been reading in the news of the secular world, it seems that these types of crimes sometimes take twenty years to detangle.Why mention Title IX?? Seriously. You use false logic and your pen is sadly misdirected this time. Its something I can share with bubble parents. 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. How unCatholic and how tragically demeaning! I had my arms pushed together, my elbows to my hands pushed together in front of my chest, trying to keep myself covered. [13], Since 1992, student enrollment has grown from 144 undergraduates to nearly 550 students, not including graduate school students. That is different from critiquing the PDA policy and segregated dorms. 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. As a graduate of Christendom, I see no reason why he couldnt have been expelled. If they do, their efforts to grow as a Catholic college will surely be blessed by greater growth in virtue. So she drove them down the mountain and back to campus. Another student instructed you to leave her alone but you continued. She fled to her dorm and went to bed. 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. Protected: Podcast 40: Naked purple capybaras of the world, unite! Very interesting. Which, I dont suppose I have any obligation to do, but its unfair to simply expect the school to just automatically presume the worst. Its not about gender expectations as much as it is about power and CONSENT, period, from anyone to anyone. 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. And on the outside, this torture of wanting to stay chaste yet wanting to see that a man loves you and wanting to fully embrace him comes across in very vague and misleading body language. Im glad to see Christendom has made some changes and I certainly hope it will continue to educate its students and do all they can do to minister to needs and address wrongs. Hit pieces only need to be tangentially accurate to get 1st amendment protections. Enjoy your freedom. Maybe you didnt mean to imply this to be the case for her, but using her name in the example makes it seem so. I dont like it, but I do get why they cant sling accusations around. The whole narrative actually seems quite dependent on that, as they pretty much did everything shy of that. This is a favored tactic of shoddy journalists who want to do a hit piece, and the Fishers followed the recipe quite well. Its commitment to providing its students with an integrated, rigorous core curriculum, combined with a vibrant Catholic atmosphere that permeates every aspect of the college experience, marks it as a distinctive and precious resource. A week later, in a letter dated May 23, 2011, President ODonnell responded. But yeah, there was definitely navet in spades. Off campus. How insulting is this point of view: all men will rape given the right kind of no.. That isnt acceptable, even in secular workplaces, and is a breathtaking accusation. The school has a very thorough policy in place, and anyway, this was not in Christendoms jurisdiction, so their hands were legally tied in their dealings regarding the actual rape. But consent is not usually nebulous. There are legal ramifications to asserting guilt and punishment against someone with zero evidence other than heresay. What drives couples off campus is the desire to do things that are prohibited on campus; things which the college prohibits precisely because they can lead people to tempt themselves and each other. The school decided to implement internal juridical means for determining the truthfulness of rape allegations outside of the civil process. Are you saying that campus security police are supposed to be policing the town? I feel challenged, respected, and loved by my teachers and am so grateful to be their student. It isnt Christendoms fault this happened they can only learn as fast as the culture encroaches..that young man should have kept his hands to himself period. Protected: Ill See Myself Out, Episode 62: Episodic! This is such a difficult and upsetting situation it is helpful to read your perspective. The school promised to conduct a complete and careful investigation.. 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. Drove, Juana. When youre Catholic youre taught that your virginity is one of the best gifts you have, a gift you can give your husband, Smith said. All rights reserved. As part of this commitment, the College undertakes to educate the student body about sexual harassment and assault. The irony is not lost on me that the one institution that offered any solution, band aid solutions they may be, is also the one institution least responsible for the event, and the one thats being blamed the most. For example, the articke states that Prof. Marshner no longer works at the school, as if he left due to this scenario. 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. Most couples are friends of other couples and all hang out together both on campus and off campus.