Rape Victim at Cedarville Asks: “Where was my protection?”

Transcript “You told us you would protect us like your own daughter. Where was my protection when your vice president and dean of women attacked me for being the victim?” So asks a rape victim at Cedarville University of university president, Dr. Thomas White, in this episode of The Roys Report. The student says the school failed to protect her when she filed a Title IX complaint for sexual harassment, so when she was raped, she didn’t feel safe to report it. She did, however, repeatedly plead with Dr. White to do something, but says her pleas fell on deaf ears. Hear this heartbreaking but important podcast, exposing what some are calling a “toxic” environment at Cedarville that needs to change. UPDATE: In an earlier version of this podcast, I noted that I could not confirm that Joy Childs is a licensed professional counselor. Since recording, I have confirmed that Childs is licensed.  Transcript Note: This transcript has been edited slightly for continuity. JULIE ROYS:  Over the past month Cedarville University has come under fire for hiring a known sexual predator. The board has placed Cedarville President Thomas White on administrative leave and is conducting a third-party investigation. But is the problem at Cedarville bigger than the president’s office? And is there a culture at the school that fails to protect victims of sexual harassment and abuse? Welcome to The Roys Report–a podcast dedicated to reporting the truth and restoring the church. I’m Julie Roys, and today I’m going to be speaking with a former Cedarville student who says she was a victim of sexual harassment and rape. But when she reported her views to school officials, she says she was re-victimized by the school. I’m going to get to that interview in just a moment but I do want to thank our sponsors: Marquardt of Barrington and Judson University. And if you’re looking for a car, I encourage you to go to BuyACar123.com. Also, I want to remind you that Judson’s next World Leaders Forum is October 20, at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center. The speaker for that event will be General David Petraeus, a four-star general and former director of the CIA. For more information, just go to JudsonU.edu. Well returning to our topic today, again, joining me is a former Cedarville University student who was a victim of sexual harassment and rape and she says Cedarville under President Thomas White has a toxic culture that fails to protect victims of abuse. In fact, in a letter to Dr. Thomas White that she sent after withdrawing from Cedarville earlier this year, she writes and I quote, “I went to Cedarville. And you Dr. White told us you would protect us like your own daughter. Where was my protection when your vice president and Dean of women attacked me for being the victim? Where was your protection when after I was held down and my pleas to stop weren’t listened to, that I couldn’t report it because of how your staff treated me? I pray you never experience what my parents did. The midnight phone calls when I woke up with nightmares. The fear that their daughter wouldn’t go to a hospital the next time she was suicidal. Or last week getting a phone call that I passed out because I cut too deep and I was sitting in a pool of my own blood. Where was this school’s love for others then?” Well, again, as you can tell, this podcast is going to be dealing with some rather intense issues. We’re going to be dealing with sexual abuse, attempted suicide. But friends, these are realities. And I’ve heard from numerous current and former Cedarville students, especially women, who complain about the culture at Cedarville. And so often when I hear these stories, I hear the emotion, I hear the pain. And sometimes that’s just hard to communicate in print. So, I’m really glad that my guest today agreed to be on this podcast. Now, because of the nature of the abuse, my guest today does not want to give her last name. However, she did want to use her real first name. A