Bob Jones University asks for outside abuse probe

GREENVILLE Bob Jones University is asking an outside Christian organization that deals with abuse claims to investigate how the fundamentalist college responds when students say they have been abused.

Trustees at the Christian university in Greenville agreed earlier this month to the investigation, which also will produce recommendations on how to better deal with any allegations of abuse in the future. The investigation will include the nearby affiliated Bob Jones Academy, which teaches students from preschool to 12th grade.

School officials said the investigation was prompted by revelations of sexual abuse in secular and Christian organizations, but isn’t in response to any specific claims of abuse at the school. The university wants to make sure it is doing the right thing when students come to officials to report abuse that happened before they enrolled or off campus, university spokeswoman Carol Keirsteadsaid.

The investigation will be handled by an organization called GRACE, which stands for Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment.

Bob Jones University was founded in 1927 and is known for its fundamentalist Christian views.

Published: January 27, 2013 "College notes"

http://www.thestate.com/2013/01/27/2606570/college-notes.html

The State

Accessed February 19, 2013

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