BJU faulted for response to GRACE report

[Jay]

Attitudes like yours are exactly why I’ve aimed my arrows at BJU’s Board. Because as long as you see it as “relatively small number of complaints”, you miss the entire point. If it was your daughter (or daughter in law) who said this….

Two things:

1. As for the young lady, if it were my daughter I would tell her that if she is going to be defeated and hurt by every errant comment she hears in a sermon in her life, she is in for a rough ride. She should forget it and move on.
2. As to the relatively small number, I mean in the context of thousands of graduates. The complainants represent a small number and the picture you and others on this thread are painting of the atmosphere at BJU is something I don’t recognize at all. I would guess most graduates would say the same. That is not to say mistakes were not made, and that some corrections are no doubt in order. But the atmosphere at the University during my years (over 10) directly involved on campus does not resemble anything that is being portrayed here. The vast majority of administration and staff were concerned for others and sought to help them with Biblical counsel when called upon to do so. I include Dr Berg in that statement.

[Jay] Should we have ignored the issues at ABWE because Dr. Ketcham molested “a relatively small number” of women and children?

Quite frankly, this comparison is disgusting. No one is alleging anything close to the ABWE situation occuring at BJU. To make this kind of comparison shows a prejudiced mind. The complaints at BJU were about how counsel was handled after the fact (often long after the fact) and not about covering up gross sexual impropriety. It is disgusting to make that comparison.

[Jay] Dismissing the concerns raised by those of us here on this site because we “don’t know how the data was gathered, how extensively the matters were investigated or anything of the sort” is pretty rich, since the GRACE report itself describes the methodologies they used. GRACE couldn’t have done any of the investigation that they did without BJU’s approval. Furthermore, there’s two whole chapters in the report on methods and surveys - one on methodology and one on the survey questions …

Oh, whoopty do, GRACE did surveys. And from that extrapolated conclusions. There is no testing of witnesses, cross-examination, searching for corroborating witnesses, it relies on surveys and the words of the complainants. Sure, that’s a great methodology. We should all just swoon. GRACE has spoken.

[Jay] How much of the GRACE report have you actually read? I’ll bet that if you had actually read it, you would have a much different attitude and approach to those of us who are loyal enough to BJU and to Dr. Berg to point out the “sin in the camp” and actually say something about it. You should know, after all, that judgment begins in the house of God (1 Peter 4:17).

I have read enough to know that they were extremely prejudiced against a biblical philosophy from the beginning. It is no surprise that they come up with a negative report. What is surprising is the number of people who just accept their report at face value and are unwilling to ask or entertain critical questions about its findings.

I’m going to do a couple of calculations to put the BJU fiasco into perspective. First, the question of whether it’s significant; I would assume about 40,000 students have started at BJU in the past 40 years, of which about 10% or 4000 would have been subjected to some level of sexual assault or molestation (half the rate of the population as a whole is my guess). Of these, about a third might report the issue to police, and somewhat less would report the issue to BJU. I would guess that 200-500 reports is probably in the ballpark.

if that’s at all close, between 10-25% of sexual assault and abuse reports showing up as “really badly handled” by BJU’s own admission. Not only is this significant, it also indicates that the problem is not people, but rather policies and procedures. (I work, again, as a quality engineer—this is how your 8D goes)

This is why you don’t just fire Berg and hope for the best—you would get identical results but with another name attached, and that with lawyers loaded for bear with the GRACE report. You go top to bottom and examine the theology that is being used and correct it where it is wrong. Two things to look for are (a) does BJU say things like “ladies, don’t lead men astray with your clothing choices” and (b) do their counseling materials reject Biblical examples of PTSD and automatically assume that Dinah and Tamar were sinning?

There are probably other things to look at, but that would be a great place to start. And, wanting BJU to succeed as a Biblical, fundamental institution, this is exactly what I hope they do. Same thing for Liberty U., ABWE, Trinity Baptist of Concord, and others caught in this mess. No need to point fingers, this is simply how process improvement works.

….if GM or Toyota find a Z score of less than 4.5 (four defects per million parts) for a given component, life WILL be miserable for the SQEs for that component and the vendor until it’s improved. BJU’s Z score here is about 1.

Or, to draw a legal picture, if BJU continues to deny the reality of PTSD and suggest that “suggestive” clothing is to blame for sexual assault, they WILL eventually face lawyers who are going to put the GRACE report in Exhibit A. It will not be pretty.

Don,

The reported incidents are MUCH broader range than “counseling after the fact”. The ABWE comparison is valid.

Re: some of the talk about certain people being arrested for not fulfilling their mandatory reporting obligations, per scchildren.org, Who is defined as a mandated reporter?

By South Carolina Law [63-7-310] the following professionals are required to report suspected cases of child abuse or neglect:

* Physicians, nurses, dentists, optometrists
* Medical examiners, coroners and their employees
* Any other medical, emergency medical services, mental health or allied professionals
* Clergy, Christian Science practitioners, religious healers (Note: The exception to reporting when information is received from the alleged perpetrator of the abuse or neglect during a communication that is protected by the clergy and penitent privilege as provided in Section 19-11-90.)
* School teachers, counselors, principals, assistant principals
* Social or public assistance workers
* Substance abuse treatment staff
* Child care workers in day care centers and foster care facilities
* Judges
* Police or law enforcement officers including school truancy officers
* Non-attorney volunteer guardians ad litem
* Foster parents
* Undertakers, funeral home directors and employees
* Persons responsible for photo or film processing
* Juvenile justice workers
* Computer technicians

Not arguing a moral responsibility to report, but does anyone see “University Professor, Dean of ____, etc” listed there? I suppose you get close with clergy and school principal, but the list seems pretty specific and yet it doesn’t include anything specific directed at college/university positions.

Perhaps SC law needs even further clarification. Just wondering…

There may be some elements of truth to the story, but don’t find it entirely credible. The approach she attributes to Rand Hummel goes against everything I know about him, his life story and his approach.

Should we take every accusation seriously and report when needed? Of course. Having said that, do people lie about sexual abuse/assault? Absolutely. Are the statistics regarding rape/sexual assault/abuse (especially on college campuses, e.g. 1/5 females, etc.) accurate? Not on your life. Does the “rape culture” exist? Not anywhere near what the rape/sexual assault/abuse allegation cottage industry would have you believe.

If someone has allegations of a criminal nature, the proper place for that to be reported and dealt with is their local police precinct, not a freaking internet message board or blog. Seriously, guys. Why are you even bringing that up here? Are there not enough problems and permutations with this BJU story that we need to start pulling in other allegations as well?

Let’s be mature and serious about this, shall we?

Than just removing one slanderous post.

I have been around the BJU controversy for years. I still marvel at just how a really fairly insignificant university of 3,000 students (in the scheme of things) can arouse such passion and these long threads. On one hand, you have the Don Johnsons (and others) who even though he is decades out of there still is obviously emotionally invested to the point where he can’t bear to see them take any criticism, legitimate or not. And then you have the much larger group who just despises the place partly for valid reasons (their arrogance and absurd positions of the past) and maybe for some invalid reasons as well.

Why does BJU seem to matter so much to many? College is just a small part of a life and hopefully just a fraction of the growing and learning that takes place. It just seems to me that there is way too much emotional capital invested into that place.

I really wonder what they put in the water over there in Greenville to instill such loyalty and hate in people. Me, I despise the BJU of the past but think they are doing a pretty decent job now. I would not hesitate to send my children there. But in the end of the day, I can’t think of a good reason to really care much one way or the other.