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Thursday, December 11, 2014

BOB JONES UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT APOLOGIZES TO SEX ABUSE VICTIMS~VOWS TO MAKE CHANGES RECOMMENDED BY "G.R.A.C.E." STUDY

WHERE GUILT, SHAME & PUNISHMENT BELONG:
 PRESIDENT PETTIT OF BOB JONES UNIVERSITY ACKNOWLEDGES MISTREATMENT OF SEX ABUSE VICTIMS; VOWS TO IMPLEMENT CHANGES 
AS TO HOW THE SCHOOL RELATES TO THEM
SEE: http://www.christianitytoday.com/gleanings/2014/december/bob-jones-university-apologizes-failing-sex-abuse-grace-bju.html; republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:

Bob Jones University Apologizes for Failing Sexual Abuse Victims

(UPDATED) 300-page GRACE report recommends BJU impose 'corrective action' on chancellor Robert Jones III.
Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra and Morgan Lee

[ POSTED 12/11/2014 10:02AM ]

[Updated with details from GRACE report and BJU response. First published Wednesday, Dec. 10, at 6:31 p.m.]
A two-year investigation into how Bob Jones University (BJU) responded to dozens of victims of sexual abuse over four decades recommends that the Christian school "impose personnel action"—ranging from termination to remedial education or other "corrective action"—upon its current chancellor, curb the counseling activities of a former dean, and disassociate from three Christian teachers.
Preempting today's release of the lengthy report, which also offers moderate praise for the school's recent policy changes on abuse disclosures, BJU's new president pledged yesterday to learn from victims who found the school's counseling to be “inadequate, insensitive and counter-productive.”
“On behalf of Bob Jones University, I would like to sincerely and humbly apologize to those who felt they did not receive from us genuine love, compassion, understanding, and support after suffering sexual abuse or assault,” said president Steve Pettit, addressing students and faculty in chapel Wednesday. “We did not live up to their expectations. We failed to uphold and honor our own core values. We are deeply saddened to hear that we added to their pain and suffering.”
The group hired, fired, and rehired by BJU to do the self-imposed investigation, GRACE (Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment), made its final report publictoday. [A detailed response webpage andinitial report overview from BJU accompanies the GRACE release.]
“Though much in this report will understandably cause readers to grieve, GRACE is encouraged by the willingness of Bob Jones University to take the unprecedented step to voluntarily request this independent investigation and to make these difficult findings public," stated GRACE executive director Boz Tchividjian. "Such institutional transparency is too rare and will hopefully set a positive precedent for Christendom and the watching world."
Tchividjian summarized the 300-page report's findings, based on interviews with 50 self-identified victims of sexual abuse and more than 60 other individuals:
The investigation findings demonstrate that Bob Jones University responded poorly to many students who disclosed being sexually victimized. As a result of the school’s flawed responses, many of these students were deeply hurt and experienced further trauma. The report outlines these painful experiences, as well as identifies and analyzes certain systemic institutional behaviors that contributed to the pain suffered by abused victims. The report concludes with 26 recommendations that “will assist BJU in continuing the journey of repentance that demonstrates Godward sorrow, invites God to transform the institution, and brings healing to the hurting.”
Pettit announced he has appointed a committee to “thoroughly review every aspect and concern outlined in the investigation and respond appropriately.” His areas of concern:
The report stated that BJU officials were not adequately prepared or trained to counsel victims appropriately.
University staff members were perceived by some to be insensitive to their suffering and sometimes rushed to resolve their negative feelings without adequate concern for their pain.
Some victims reported that the counseling offered by the University was inadequate, insensitive and counter-productive.
Some felt a number of staff members at the University tended to blame victims for the abuse or sexual assault they experienced and that this implied blame left them feeling more traumatized.
The report found that counseling sometimes overlapped with disciplinary actions. Victims felt counseling should be separated from BJU’s discipline process and a clear procedure of confidentiality should be established.
The report was originally due in March, but was delayed when BJU fired GRACE in January, then re-hired them in February to finish the work. CT noted BJU's termination of the contract, which “took GRACE by complete surprise,” as well as its reinstatement after “GRACE satisfactorily addressed the University's concerns” and BJU was confident the review could be “completed in a timely and professional manner.”
GRACE initiated the investigation with an online survey, accessed by 924 people. Of this group, 601 “identified themselves as a survivor of a child and/or adult sexual abuse, a person who knows a sexual abuse survivor affiliated with BJU, and/or someone who has first-hand knowledge of BJU’s teaching and practices about sexual abuse.”
Of survey takers who self-identified as victims of sexual abuse, nearly one-third (30.5%) characterized BJU’s response to their abuse disclosure as "supportive," while slightly more than half (52.7%) said the school had been "hurtful." Among all survey takers, more than a quarter (26%) viewed BJU’s response as supportive, while nearly half (47.5%) saw it as hurtful.
Regarding past president Robert Jones III, who left the presidency in 2005 and currently serves as chancellor, the GRACE report states, “As president of BJU during much of the time that was the subject of this investigation, Dr. Jones, III is ultimately responsible for many of the difficult findings of this investigation. [He] has also repeatedly demonstrated a significant lack of understanding regarding the many painful dynamics associated with sex abuse.”
Regarding the recommended "personnel action," the report explains this "includes, but is not limited to, termination, suspension, probation, transfer, remedial education and training, or any other form of corrective action consistent with transforming the employee's teaching, conduct, or overall disposition regarding sexual abuse matters."
GRACE also criticizes BJU’s previous administration for its failure to legally report a “number of cases prior to 2010.”
“Regardless of intent, the university caused students and children to be more vulnerable to dangerous perpetrators by failing to report or even encourage the reporting of sexual crimes,” the report states, placing the majority of blame on James Berg, a former dean of students who currently teaches graduate courses in crisis counseling and Christian discipleship.
"As the most influential member of the BJU community regarding the many issues related to the counseling and discipline of sexual abuse victims, Dr. Berg bears much responsibility for much of the pain caused by BJU's failure to understand and respond adequately to matters related to sexual abuse," the report states. "It is recommend that as long as Dr. Berg is employed by BJU, he no longer be authorized to teach on any issue related to sexual abuse or victimization. It is recommended that Dr. Berg also no longer be allowed to provide any counseling and/or discipleship on or off campus. It is also recommended that Dr. Berg not be allowed to speak or consult any issue related to counseling on or off campus."
On its response webpage, BJU responds that the "personnel recommendations, along with the other recommendations, will be reviewed over the next 90 days by a committee appointed by the president of the University."
GRACE framed its 26 recommendations to BJU as “continuing the journey of repentance that demonstrates Godward sorrow, invites God to transform the institution and brings healing to the hurting.” The recommendations include:
  • outsourcing BJU's sexual abuse counseling,
  • offering to pay the rest of tuition for sex abuse victims who left BJU prior to earning their degrees, and
  • cutting ties with BJU's most prominent counseling leaders (Walter Fremont, Bob Wood, and Jim Berg) by removing their books, curriculum, and teachings from the school's bookstores, and banning any BJU endorsements or recommendations of material or individuals associated with their philosophy or movement.
GRACE's report also identifies a conflict of interest in BJU's counseling department, where counselors were supervised by the dean of students and obligated to report disciplinary offenses. “This duality that combines discipline and counseling under the Student Life structure creates an ethical conflict because of the potential for adverse disciplinary consequences for the counselee,” the report states. It also notes the arrangement risks "breaches in confidentiality."
The report notes the disagreement of Jones III, who defended the arrangement and comparing the dean's role to parenting. But Berg confirmed to GRACE “that the university’s internal communications about confidential disclosures of abuse had been ‘sloppy’ due to the university’s ‘family’ structure,” and acknowledged the need for improvement, according to the report.
On its response webpage, BJU states it has "physically separated counseling services from the discipline process. This was done because the proximity of counseling and discipline may have contributed to an atmosphere of fear for abuse/assault victims and other students who were struggling with other issues."
GRACE acknowledged that BJU's response to sexual abuse had improved since 2010. The report states the 2014-2015 version of the school's sexual abuse disclosure policy “the most improved abuse and neglect policy that BJU has published,” and stating that its “improvements are highly commendable and signal an increased awareness of mandatory reporting laws.”
“BJU’S recognition of desire for continued training are positive indicators of growth in properly handling reports of abuse. Continued training and development are critical pieces of BJU’s future and must remain a priority for university leaders as it moves forward,” the report states. It notes:
At this moment in history, Bob Jones University has been given an exceptional opportunity to be a voice of hope, compassion, and love that many victims of sexual abuse so desperately need(ed) and desire(d) during their time on campus. If Bob Jones University responds to these expressions of pain and loss with repentance and genuine commitment for substantive change, it will begin to comfort the afflicted while reflecting a love for the One who is able to heal and transform individuals and institutions.
Apart from the GRACE report and any future changes made in light of it, Pettit yesterday listed other steps taken by BJU over the past three years:
To make every member of the faculty and staff a mandatory reporter which requires each to promptly notify law enforcement officials of child sexual abuse.
To encourage adult victims of sexual assault to report their experience to the appropriate law enforcement officials.
To make clear that the biblical lesson of forgiveness does not imply that the victim is in any way responsible for the sexual assault or abuse they experienced.
To provide more extensive training and access to professional counselors with expertise in sexual abuse for University personnel who interact with victims coming to them for care and compassion.
“We do not take the concerns of the victims who believe we failed them lightly,” said Pettit. “We know we must work to regain their trust through actions, not words, and for those actions to be truly meaningful, we must make a long-term commitment that creates genuine, sustainable change…. This is our solemn pledge.”
Pettit's videotaped statement can be watched here. BJU offers a webpage that answers questions and its initial overview to the GRACE report.
Past media reports have noted the GRACE investigation was initiated in 2012 after BJU reported nine campus sexual offenses in its 2011 Clery report. On its response webpage, BJU acknowledges the investigation was prompted by "a number of high profile national news reports regarding child sexual abuse, especially on college campuses," in the fall of 2011, but notes "the agreement with GRACE was not prompted by any specific event, nor was there any evidence of a systemic problem of sexual abuse on or off campus involving BJU students or employees." On the 2011 Clergy data, the school offers the following details:
Nine students reported being touched by a single perpetrator in the campus library during regular library hours. The nine students reported the incidents to campus authorities the same day. BJU has a no tolerance policy and immediately facilitated the reporting of the incidents to the Greenville Police Department and offered counseling to the students. The student was dismissed. Representatives of the solicitor’s office interviewed the nine students and over the next months resolved the matter through the legal system.
The category under which BJU reported the offenses—forcible sexual offense—includes a wide range of offenses. This does not diminish the gravity of the situation as we are grieved over any kind of sexual misconduct.
GRACE was previously retained to complete an investigation of 1980s sex abuse charges against New Tribes Missions. The Association of Baptists for World Mission (ABWE), which faced similar allegations, hired GRACE but fired them weeks before the two-year investigation was complete.
CT's reporting on abuse includes a cover story on Compassion International president Wes Stafford'sexperience of abuse as a missionary child, as well as how abused MKs are joining together to shed light on past abuse and to prevent future abuse.
____________________________________________________________________

Statement from BJU’s President 

on the GRACE Report

SUMMARY BY BJU OF G.R.A.C.E. REPORT:
http://www.bju.edu/grace/
FULL G.R.A.C.E. REPORT: http://netgrace.org/wp-content/uploads/Final-Report.pdf
VIDEO OF PRESIDENT PETTIT'S ANNOUNCEMENT INCLUDED:
SEE: http://www.bju.edu/news/2014-12-10-grace-report-statement.php republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
Tomorrow morning (Dec. 11, 2014), the GRACE organization (Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment), based in Lynchburg, Va., will release a report on BJU’s response to reports of sexual abuse and sexual assault for a period spanning almost four decades. The University commissioned the review because of our desire to examine our history in counseling victims of sexual abuse and sexual assault and to consider how our policies and practices could be improved. We wanted to make sure that we were not only in compliance with legal reporting requirements, but far more importantly, that we were providing the spiritual and emotional support needed to help victims overcome the trauma they had experienced.
GRACE interviewed approximately 40 victims, a number of whom were former BJU students who received counseling from BJU. Most had suffered child sexual abuse while some had experienced 
sexual assault before or while at BJU. Some stated to GRACE that Bob Jones University did not meet their needs when they came to us for counseling and advice. Some also stated that the counseling they received made them feel responsible for the crimes against them.
On behalf of Bob Jones University, I would like to sincerely and humbly apologize to those who felt 

they did not receive from us genuine love, compassion, understanding, and support after suffering 

sexual abuse or assault. We did not live up to their expectations. We failed to uphold and honor 

our own core values. We are deeply saddened to hear that we added to their pain and suffering.

To them I would say—we have carefully listened to your voice. We take your testimony in this report
 to our hearts. We intend to thoroughly review every aspect and concern outlined in the investigation 
and respond appropriately.
We are all awakening to the depth and breadth of this societal problem. Colleges and universities 
across the country are reassessing how they handle cases of sexual abuse and assault. We want 
to be part of that solution. To do that, we must first address our own failings, and the GRACE report
 helps in that effort by identifying specific areas of concerns. Some of those concerns include the 
following:
  • The report stated that BJU officials were not adequately prepared or trained to counsel victims 
  • appropriately.
  • University staff members were perceived by some to be insensitive to their suffering and 
  • sometimes rushed to resolve their negative feelings without adequate concern for their pain.
  • Some victims reported that the counseling offered by the University was inadequate, insensitive 
  • and counter-productive.
  • Some felt a number of staff members at the University tended to blame victims for the abuse or 
  • sexual assault they experienced and that this implied blame left them feeling more traumatized.
  • The report found that counseling sometimes overlapped with disciplinary actions. Victims felt 
  • counseling should be separated from BJU’s discipline process and a clear procedure of 
  • confidentiality should be established.
These findings deserve careful review and analysis. I promise the victims who felt we failed them 
that the GRACE report is an extremely high priority that has our immediate and full attention. We 
are thoroughly analyzing the conclusions, the underlying evidence and the recommendations and 
we will provide a thorough and thoughtful update as we complete this process.
It is important to note that the GRACE report, as significant as it is, is only one element of the 
actions we have undertaken in the past three years to improve our approach to sexual abuse 
and assault. As the report itself explains, the University in recent years has revised its policies 
and procedures:
  • To make every member of the faculty and staff a mandatory reporter which requires each to 
  • promptly notify law enforcement officials of child sexual abuse.
  • To encourage adult victims of sexual assault to report their experience to the appropriate law 
  • enforcement officials.
  • To make clear that the biblical lesson of forgiveness does not imply that the victim is in any way
  •  responsible for the sexual assault or abuse they experienced.
  • To provide more extensive training and access to professional counselors with expertise in 
  • sexual abuse for University personnel who interact with victims coming to them for care and 
  • compassion.
In a final note, we are thankful for GRACE and Boz Tchividjian. They are devoted to the cause of
 preventing sexual abuse and their contributions are significant. All along, our hope has been that 
this report would give us greater clarity and direction in addressing these important challenges. 
As you can appreciate, we need to review this report in exhaustive detail. We need to understand 
better the process GRACE followed along with their recommendations. As we continue the review, 
we will share our thoughts and any questions we may have. That being said, we find the report a 
valuable tool in our sincere efforts to improve how we counsel as well as the support we provide 
to victims of sexual abuse and assault.
We are totally dedicated to this on-going effort and will immediately appoint a committee to review 
this report over the next 90 days.
We do not take the concerns of the victims who believe we failed them lightly. We know we must 
work to regain their trust through actions, not words, and for those actions to be truly meaningful, 
we must make a long-term commitment that creates genuine, sustainable change. It is our solemn 
pledge to do just that.
—Steve Pettit
Published December 10, 2014
___________________________________________________________________
Sex abuse report: Bob Jones University 
fosters culture of victim-blaming
Victims say conservative Christian college discouraged them from 
reporting incidents, investigation finds
http://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/dec/11/sex-abuse-report-bob-jones-university;
EXCERPTS:
"Sex abuse victims at the conservative Christian Bob Jones University encounter a victim-blaming 
culture that discourages reporting abuse, according to an independent report released on Thursday 
by a non-profit that fights sex abuse in the church.

Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment (Grace) published the scathing 
300-page report , which details the experiences of current and former students, employees, and 
others who have dealt with students’ sex abuse claims –such as pastors, counselors, and family 
members. Because the school receives Title IX funding, it is required to report abuse claims under 
the Clery Act. The report, however, indicates that the university does not encourage individual 
reporting to the police. In Grace’s survey, the 66 people who reported abuse were asked about 
the school’s stance toward the victim making an abuse report. Of these, only five were encouraged 
to make a report. Fourteen participants described BJU as “discouraging” the report, and, most 
damningly, 17 participants stated that they were directed by BJU personnel not to make a police 
report. Four did not know and 26 defined the school’s stance as “other”."
_____________________________________________________________________

"Report: Bob Jones University Responded to Rape Claims 

with Woeful Ignorance of the Law, Often Blaming Victims":

SEE: 
EXCERPT:
In the 301-page report, GRACE shows Bob Jones University responding to rape and abuse claims 
with woeful ignorance of state law, a near-complete lack of training in psychology and trauma 
counseling best practices, and an overarching campus culture that blames women and girls for 
any abuse they suffer, and which paints all sexuality—from rape to consensual sex—as equivalent 
misdeeds.
Now, two years after it began, the report, which draws on an immense amount of research, has 
seen the light of day. Its findings are based in part on survey responses from 924 people, 
interviews with 116, including 54 self-identified victims of sexual abuse, and 22 written 
statements. More than half (52.7 percent) of the abuse survivors said that the school’s response 
to their disclosures had been “somewhat to very hurtful,” and approximately 48 percent said 
that BJU either discouraged or directly told them not to make a police report. Among those who 
never disclosed their abuse to school officials, most explained that the atmosphere and teachings 
at BJU had convinced them not to talk to school officials about what had happened.
_____________________________________________________________

"Bob Jones University Blamed Victims 

of Sexual Assaults, Not Abusers, Report Says":

EXCERPTS:
Bob Jones, an evangelical Christian institution in Greenville, S.C., displayed a “blaming and disparaging” 
attitude toward abuse victims, according to 56 percent of the 381 current and former students and 
employees who replied to a confidential survey and said they had knowledge of how the university 
handled abuse cases. About half the 166 people surveyed who identified themselves as abuse victims 
said the university actively discouraged them from going to the police. Another person said that at 
Bob Jones, “abuse victims are considered ‘second-rate Christians.’ ” And another said that university 
staff consistently told victims “that they bore the sin of bitterness and that they should not report 
abusers.” Some people quoted in the report said Bob Jones University had shattered their faith, along 
with their psyches. The university made God out to be “someone who turns his back when children are 
harmed and then mocks and shames the child further,” one said, while another said, “by the time I left 
B.J.U., I didn’t think God loved me at all.”
_______________________________________________________________________

PLEASE SEE OUR PREVIOUS POSTS ABOUT PETTIT AND BOB JONES UNIVERSITY:
____________________________________________________________________-
IT HAS TAKEN A LONG TIME FOR BOB JONES UNIVERSITY TO CHANGE COURSE, 
NOT BY PRAYER, INTROSPECTION, OR THE CONVICTION BY THE HOLY SPIRIT, 
BUT BY AN OUTSIDE AGENCY WHICH POINTED OUT THE ERROR OF THEIR WAYS. 
MEANWHILE, HOW THEY PLAN ON COMPENSATING THE VICTIMS REMAINS TO BE 
SEEN. IF NOTHING FURTHER TRANSPIRES, THE 40 OR SO VICTIMS MIGHT CONSIDER 
A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT SIMILAR TO THE SOVEREIGN GRACE SEX ABUSE LAWSUIT.
______________________________________________________________
THE FOLLOWING SHOULD BE OF SOME INTEREST TO GIVE AN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE:

Rape Victims Told To Repent At Christian School:

Published on Jun 21, 2014

The students who attend Bob Jones University, one of the most conservative 
Christian colleges in the country, say that they're often traumatized after 
seeking counseling from school administrators on the issue of sexual assault. 
According to an Al Jazeera investigation, Bob Jones staff members have 
responded to allegations of rape by telling rape victims they should repent for 
their sins...
Rand Hummel's 2009 Sermon at Bob Jones University:
Published on Jun 17, 2014

Rand Hummel is the director of a Christian camp and holds a B.A. in Bible and an 
honorary doctorate from Bob Jones University. In this edited clip of a sermon he 
gave at Bob Jones University's chapel, Hummel recounts how he counseled a 
victim of sexual abuse. The full audio of the sermon is available here:

BRAGGING: God is for BJU by Steve Pettit:

Published on Nov 24, 2014

President Stephen Pettit prepares the Bob Jones University constituency 
for the December release of the GRACE report. Northside Baptist Church, 
Charleston, SC on November 23, 2014


 ::

Bob Jones University Controversy:

Published on Aug 5, 2014

Bob Jones University is responding to allegations it mistreated rape survivors.

 Five former students accuse the Christian college of blaming their past sins as the 
cause of their sexual assaults. The students told Al Jazeera America that faculty 
counseled them to forgive their attackers, and asked probing questions about what 
they did to cause the attacks. 

 Rape survivor advocates say changing the culture of victim-blaming is one of their 
primary battles. "To go to someone, whether church leader, family member or friend, 
and have them accuse you or point fingers at you, make you feel responsible or 
accept blame for what happened, can be incredibly devastating. It's really like being 
victimized all over again," says Shauna Galloway-Williams of the Julie Valentine Center.

In a statement, the university said, "Caring for our students and alumni is of utmost 
concern. Rape, abuse and neglect are not the fault of any victim. Those who perpetuate 
these horrific crimes bear full responsibility for their actions and should be prosecuted. 
Believing that all forms of abuse and neglect are abhorrent, Bob Jones University 
embarked on a program in 2011 to review and improve our response to students who 
report abuse. In subsequent months we have updated policies, implemented awareness 
training, appointed a full-time abuse counselor, and appointed an ombudsman to review 
our policies and past responses to reports of abuse. It is our desire to continue to serve 
and improve our care for the hurting and abused."

Rape victims say Bob Jones University 

told them to repent

Former students at "the fortress of faith" who reported sexual abuse say 
they were told they had sinned
SEE: 
http://america.aljazeera.com/watch/shows/america-tonight/articles/2014/6/18/bob-jones-universitysexualabuse.html

Bob Jones University and Victim-Blaming: Not Unlike Mark Driscoll and SGM?

__________________________________________________________________________

Chuck Phelps Returns To Board 

Of Bob Jones University








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