Steubenville, Ohio, Apr 25, 2018 / 02:27 pm (CNA).- Franciscan University in Steubenville has said it is committed to reporting and investigating all allegations of abuse in alignment with Title IX requirements and the school’s Catholic identity, following claims that it has mishandled abuse cases in the past.
“While many schools provide Title IX training that meets requirements, here, we hold our students to a higher standard,” David Schmiesing, vice president of Student Life, told CNA in email comments.
“We frame our Title IX training within the context of a Catholic understanding of human sexuality and the dignity of the human person. For example, during Orientation Weekend for all new students and parents, we provide a talk on the truth and beauty of human sexuality that sets the stage for our online training on the specifics of our sexual misconduct policy,” Schmiesing said.
Schools that receive federal funding are obliged to comply with Title IX, a federal law that requires schools to have appropriate reporting procedures in place for allegations of sexual harassment and abuse.
Franciscan University came under fire in an April 16 article in the National Catholic Reporter, which included claims from some alumni of the University, who alleged that some instances of past sexual harassment or assault were mishandled by the school.
The article was produced through a grant from The Media Consortium, which has partnered with Bitch Media to produce the “DIShonor Roll,” a series of stories on the handling of sexual assault at college campuses following the #MeToo campaign.
The Media Consortium is a 501c3 non-profit “dedicated to values-driven journalism. Founded in 2006, the Media Consortium’s mission is to support and grow the impact of the independent and community news sector.”
Its leadership includes Julie Falk, Executive Director of Bitch Media, and Caitlin Hendel, CEO of the National Catholic Reporter. The Media Consortium has reportedly been the recipient of several grants from the Open Society Foundation, funded by progressive billionaire George Soros.
According to the description on Media Consortium’s website, the DIShonor Roll project, launched in February, seeks “to solve the problem of sexual violence on campus” with “consistent, powerful storytelling that puts a human face on campus sexual violence.”
“To that end, the Media Consortium, partnering with Bitch Media, is launching #DishonorRoll. Twice a month, a wide consortium of news outlets, working with project editors at Bitch Media, will publish stories on different aspects of campus sexual assault.”
Grants of $500 are available through Media Consortium to any media outlets or journalists who want to participate in the project. Other articles in the project include “Is Campus Rape Activism Accessible?”, “I Kissed Consent Goodbye: Purity Culture and Sexual Violence on Evangelical Christian Campuses” and “Everything Scold is New Again”, published on Bitch Media, and “Christendom College alumni call for Title IX response to sexual assaults” published by the National Catholic Reporter.
According to its 2016 tax filings, the mission of Bitch Media is “to provide and encourage an engaged, thoughtful feminist response to mainstream and popular culture.”
Author Jenn Morson, writing for the National Catholic Reporter, found several alleged stories of mishandled sexual assault or harassment incidents at Franciscan on an alumni Facebook page.
According to the Reporter, Annie, a Franciscan alumna whose name had been changed, shared in the Facebook group that when she was raped in the spring of 2007, she was encouraged by a priest at Franciscan to seek counseling, but not encouraged to contact the authorities.
Another student, Jennifer, claimed that in 2008, Franciscan’s then-Director of Student Life, Catherine Heck violated her privacy by forcing her to call her parents after an incident of sexual assault, and by sharing the story with other RAs at the time.
Another student, Margaret, claimed a mishandling of a 2005 sexual assault incident.
“I had to tell my story several times to different faculty members and a review board made up entirely of men,” Margaret said. “They asked me why I was drinking in the first place, what my dress looked like, and if I had any other encounters with [the male student] before this happened.”
According to Margaret, the review board took no action against the male student after they believed there was no proof that the incident was not consensual.
Franciscan officials told CNA that in order to protect the privacy of those involved, it could not speak about specific cases in the past or present involving sexual abuse.
“We can say that if a case involves criminal actions, we strictly follow our policy and encourage students to report alleged criminal sexual misconduct to law enforcement agencies,” Brenan Pergi, vice president of Human Resources and deputy Title IX/EEO coordinator, told CNA.
Since 2011, Franciscan has also reviewed and improved existing policies and procedures in reporting sexual misconduct, John Pizzuti, Franciscan’s Title IX/EEO coordinator and director of Campus Safety and Compliance, told Franciscan Magazine. The school has also established Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) with the Steubenville Police Department and sexual victims advocate group Alive Inc., outlining the terms and details of handling cases of sexual misconduct.
“In total, since 2011, almost two dozen new programs, designed to ensure the safety of all students, have gone into effect at Franciscan. Key staff members have received comprehensive training in helping victims of sexual misconduct. And the entire process of reviewing complaints – from reporting to adjudicating and appealing decisions—has been strengthened and clarified,” Emily Stimpson Chapman wrote in Franciscan Magazine.
Some sources in the Reporter article also claimed that the emphasis in Title IX training at Franciscan was Church teaching on sexuality and the prevention of being in situations that could lead to sexual assault, rather than on reporting incidents.
“Everything at (Franciscan University) is talked about with a religious lens. Even the way they discuss sexual assault and harassment focuses on what the church teaches on premarital sex, modesty and avoiding situations that lead to sexual assault, as opposed to taking the report for what it is,” said Marisa Bortz, who worked as a sexual assault advocate and prevention educator for ALIVE, Inc., in the same county as Franciscan.
Catherine Heck, assistant vice president of Student Life and deputy Title IX/EEO coordinator, noted that “FUS encourages both prevention and reporting. Like most colleges and universities we work hard to prevent the tragedy of sexual misconduct from occurring in the first place. Equally important is our immediate support and action if a complaint is made. If we receive a report of sexual misconduct, we investigate and resolve the complaint in a timely manner.”
“All University employees (with the exception of counselors and certain pastoral staff) are obligated to promptly report actual or suspected discrimination, harassment, or sexual misconduct to our Title IX coordinator or deputy,” Pergi added. “Franciscan University encourages students and staff members to immediately report any and all cases of sexual misconduct. When a report is made, the University seeks to provide ongoing support to the student or staff member making the report.”
Furthermore, Franciscan officials said that their policies reflect the Catholic culture and identity of the school, when it comes to such topics as the Title IX issue of “consent.”
“We carefully and thoroughly describe the concept of ‘consent’ for students and emphasize that non-consensual sexual activity is a violation of our policy and an attack on human dignity,” Heck said. “We also make it clear that all sexual contact outside of the covenant of marriage is inconsistent with Catholic teaching and the University’s expectations for our students – consent is certainly necessary, but it is not sufficient.”
The full list of policies and procedures can be found on the University’s website, and are “based on our respect for the dignity of the human person as expressed in Church teaching as well as being guided by federal, state, and local statutes,” Pergi noted.
“We seek to respect the rights of everyone involved, while creating a safe and positive learning environment for students, staff, and faculty members,” he said.
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Cry me a river, your Excellencies. If this “freeze” were to become permanent (God willing) you might have to lay off more of your hundreds of D.C. employees, sell off your enormous headquarters, give up your frequent transatlantic jaunts and global vacations, leave your richly appointed mansions, cancel your four-star lunches and – gasp! – confine yourselves to preaching the Gospel.
Is it really a good idea for Catholic Charities, Refugee Services, etc. to be taking money from the government?Why do we do this? Where in scripture do Christ, Apostles, St. Paul, etc. look to the government to support works of charity? Why not rely on appeals and contributions from people in the pew to carry on these charitable works?
The USCCB looks like just another secular group with its hand out to get more $$$ from the government. And, can we be sure that Catholic organizations are not taking money to support wrongdoing or law breaking? as in facilitating illegal immigration?
Charlie USCCB laments the loss of the dollars because the loss will damage the word and reputation of the USCCB. If that is not hypocritically rich, what is?
Sorry Charlie USCCB. You have no one to blame for any loss of word and reputation.
You lost those when you began to take US taxpayer money to fund your ‘charitable’ ‘work.’
These self-righteous sort of bishops ought to thank God for the second chance He gives them in this state of affairs. USCCB ought to return to the mission Jesus commanded of his apostles and their successors. Jesus called his disciples and apostolic successors to a GREAT COMMISSION to preach the word among all NATIONS. Jesus did not command resettling all people of all other nations in ONE. Re-settling illegal immigrants was NOT part of the Great Commission Jesus commanded.
If The Church wishes to resettle illegal migrants, refugees, or hordes of criminally culpable illegal aliens, the government likely will not stop you. BUT For the Roman Catholic Church to ask for government assistance in its ‘work of God’ is a bark up a dry dead tree. It is the RCC asking for a hand-out from the US citizens, and the Constitution does not allow the establishment of any Church, even one which claims it may be the government’s best and most charitable ‘charitable’ arm.
Some sods really ought to get a life.
This is great news. Now that the Catholic bishops are suing the Feds, the Justice Drpartment and D.O.G.E. will be granted a discovery motion to audit the files of every diocese in the USA to determine where every dime was spent. If every diocese cannot give a full accounting for every dime handed over, then the dioceses will have to return hundreds of millions of dollars – maybe even billions. I’m hoping that every diocese is bankrupted in the process. I know for a fact that various Catholic agencies receiving money from the Feds have been politicized and are merely front organizations for the leftist Democratic Party. We can begin with CCHD.
Deacon, have you ever heard of the Single Audit Act?
The power of the government to audit churches is ordinarily severely limited. Churches do not fie 990 Forms because that is the flip side of “the wall of separation”-not as commonly believed because they adhere to 501(c)(3).
However as a government accountant (it’s sort of like being an exorcist), I can tell you all government cheese is attached to a string that ties it to the trap. The Bishops are sacrificing the right of the church to have an autonomous existence with their foolish money grab.
The Single Audit Act of 1984—Public Law No. 98-502 and its Amendments of 1996—Public Law No. 104-156, established a standardized and uniform audit process for non-Federal entities that receive and expend Federal funds to administer various Government programs and initiatives. The type of audit created by the Single Audit Act is commonly referred to as a Single Audit.
The provisions of the Single Audit Act were codified by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in the Uniform Guidance, Subpart F—Audit Requirements. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) implemented the Uniform Guidance in Title 45 CFR Part 75, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for HHS Awards.
A Single Audit is an audit of a non-Federal entity’s financial statements and of its expenditures of Federal awards. Single Audits are conducted in accordance with Generally Accepted Auditing Standards, Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards (GAGAS) issued by the Comptroller General of the United States, and the requirements of the Uniform Guidance.
Thanks, Pitchfork, for sharing your exorcism expertise!
So are you saying that the Church taking government funds could be rendered totally null, void, debunkt, defunkt, and totally bankrupt if the slack noose-string between the money-cheese and the audit-trap is pulled tight?
Do you know if the USCCB’s charities–Catholic Charities, CRS, or their ilk–ever underwent audit under the Single Audit Act?
USCCB = United States Conference of Catholic Beltway Bandits. That is what they have become.
US Conference of Catholic Beltway Bandits. Oh, that’s a good one. I was thinking bureaucrats myself, and think the USCCB should be disbanded for that reason. It (USCCB) has turned out Bishops into bureaucrats.
Can pewsitters sue Catholic Bishops in civil court?
I’m half tempted to put a note in my next envelope instead of a check.
Dear Father X:
I would normally make a donation in the the amount of $XXXX for the period. Unfortunately, I believe some of this will be directed to the Bishop and the USCCB.
As I believe they are more concerned with aiding and abetting those violating the laws of the United States; and since the examination of conscience that used to be available in this Parish said adherence to civil law was part of the Fourth Commandment; and since the USCCB is has the money to litigate for the receipt of money to continue aiding and abetting those who violate the law; I will be redirecting my donations to several charities that I think are more concerned with the salvation of souls than Bishop S and his “brother Bishops” including the Bishop of Rome seem to be.
Depends . If the USCCB is suing for services already provided under contract they should be paid. If you hire a contractor to do work for you, and he does it according to the contract he should be paid. Same thing, Unfortunately not all honor contracts and so lawsuits start.