While society as a whole focuses on the issue of sexual harassment and assault in the #MeToo era, a pair of recent articles published in the National Catholic Reporter has put a new focus on how devoutly Catholic institutions of higher education are dealing with Title IX allegations and sexual assault.
Alumni from Franciscan University of Steubenville and Christendom College, both listed in the Cardinal Newman Society’s list of faithful Catholic colleges, are taking issue with the way their alma maters have approached the issue of sexual harassment. Perhaps most striking about the two articles, however, is not the content but the editor’s notes that accompanied them:
“As #MeToo took off and the goal of making women safe from sexual assault became a movement, some noticed little action in the Catholic sphere. At least in the public Catholic sphere. But in quiet conversations, private Facebook pages, online forums and discreet email chains, Catholic women were discussing their experiences inside various Catholic institutions.
“As these discussions deepened, Catholic women discovered stories of assault, harassment and abuse were common, though rarely widely shared. Groups of alumni from Catholic colleges in particular found among themselves disturbing patterns that led them to question how committed their schools are to protecting young women.
“As these women search for ways to hold their schools accountable, they’ve turned their focus to Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the federal law that mandates procedures for handling complaints of sexual discrimination, harassment or violence.”
Shockingly, this note acts as if these colleges have ignored the problem of sexual misconduct, when in reality, they are arguably on the front lines of preventing such behaviors.
In a culture that has so greatly liberalized the exclusivity of sexuality, it should have come as no surprise when the tidal wave of allegations surface against prominent figures for sexual deviancy. When the bar of what is socially acceptable is lowered, the number of infractions against the societal standard increases because people think their actions will go unnoticed.
Instead of facilitating the sexual activity of their students, Catholic colleges have placed a focus on an understanding of human sexuality that emphasizes its goodness, and its proper place within the confines of matrimony. As a result, there is an expectation among the students of a higher standard of sexual behavior, which creates an environment that encourages romantic relationships between men and women to be aimed towards marriage. Hookup culture, which has promulgated the atmosphere for sexual misdeeds, is virtually nonexistent.
It is a tenant of Catholic teaching that sexual activity outside the confines of a married couple is a very grave sin. The way men and women interact at these institutions is much different than at your average state university. The sexual free-for-all that pervades campus life at most universities is noticeably absent.
In the case that sexual misconduct does take place on campus, shifting to secret Internet forums in order to accuse these institutions of ignoring widespread sexual harassment undermines the efforts of those who actually seek to make a difference in the lives of those hurt by sexual misconduct. Such secretive behavior encourages gossip, which does a disservice to those that have been harmed.
When I walk around campus at Franciscan University, I don’t see a sex-crazed student body where rampant sexual assault is taking place. I see human beings who seek to create long-lasting friendships with one another and respect each other for who they are. If someone is truly hurt, there is no doubt in my mind that the entire community would rise up and support them, not shame them.
