Bju Taps Group to Review Any Abuse Allegations

Greenville Online
November 9, 2012

http://www.greenvilleonline.com/article/20121109/NEWS/311090009/BJU-taps-group-review-any-abuse-allegations?odyssey=nav|head&nclick_check=1

Bob Jones University said it has appointed an outside Christian organization as an ombudsman to review “past instances in which it is alleged that the university under-served a victim or didn’t comply with the law in handling reports of abuse.”

The action follows the recommendations of a committee that was appointed by the BJU board of trustees upon the request of President Stephen Jones “to review the institution’s sexual abuse policy and its application.”

“In light of national media reports of the mishandling of sexual abuse, including on college campuses, Dr. Jones wanted to make absolutely certain BJU’s policies and procedures both fully comply with the law and ensure a loving, scripturally based response,” the school said in an announcement posted on its website.

At a BJU board meeting last December, Jones called for creation of a five-member committee that would include three experts not affiliated with the university — a sex abuse counselor, a child advocate and a medical doctor — to study BJU’s policies on handling allegations.

Several former and current BJU students and faculty protested prior to last December’s board meeting about the way the school had handled sex abuse allegations on campus.

BJU said it has contracted with GRACE, or Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment, based in Lynchburg, Va.

GRACE works with churches and other Christian organizations “on minimizing opportunities for abuse to occur within their environments and assists groups in responding to abuse disclosures in a manner that demonstrates both knowledge of the issues and compassion to those involved,” the university said in its statement.

“As an independent third-party investigator, they are able to provide an open and objective analysis of the facts which typically engenders trust of the complainants and leads to an appropriate, compassionate response,” according to the statement.

GRACE is working out procedures for gathering information from people “who feel they were under-served by BJU when they reported abuse,” the school said.

BJU will let people know how to contact GRACE in early January. Prior to that, it said the organization can be contacted at grace.bobjones@netgrace.org.

BJU made the announcement at the conclusion of a conference for pastors and church leaders on Sexual Abuse and the Church sponsored by the Bob Jones University Seminary.

The university said it is “being proactive in contracting with an independent group to review any possible allegations of past issues so that any appropriate remediation can be identified and implemented and so that the university can ensure proper procedures are in place for handling any future reports.”

“Bob Jones University considers all forms of abuse and neglect abhorrent and believes that victims of abuse are not to be blamed for being the object of abuse,” the school said in its statement. “Abuse is an all too prevalent issue throughout our society today, and BJU is committed to responding biblically, complying with the law and serving victims of abuse with compassion.”