Scandal at Smith College Shows that More Needs to be Done to Protect Students from Abusers
According to reports, a credibly-accused clergyman who worked for more than ten years as a lecturer at Smith College was reported to the college's senior leadership as an abuser in 2001, yet no action was taken. This story demonstrates to us how far Big Education still needs to go to make universities and colleges safe.
Robert Ellis Hosmer Jr. should never have held this job. By 2002, when the "Dallas Charter" was established and the Catholic church was purportedly on a more transparent path, this priest was able to avoid accountability and his victims were denied justice. Who knows what he could have done with 20 years of unfettered access?
Jaime Lara, a priest from Brooklyn, was accused and removed from the priesthood in 1992, yet later took teaching jobs at both Yale University and Arizona State University. Fr. Jacob Vellian, a fugitive uncovered by Michigan Attorney general Dana Nessel, is in India but taught at St. Patrick's seminary after he allegedly raped a woman in Michigan. He left the United States where he was working at an East Indian mission church in the San Jose diocese when he was told about the report in 2010.
Beyond these examples, there are hundreds of priests who have wound up living or working at Catholic institutions. If Georgetown, Gonzaga, Loyola-Chicago, Boston College, Fordham, Santa Clara University, Notre Dame or any other Catholic institution were to do an even cursory review of its files, each could identify dozens of allegedly abusive priests, brothers and other clergy who found sanctuary in universities and colleges despite their status as abusers.
We call on Smith College to look carefully at its full roster of professors and lecturers, and to make a full accounting of any other Title IX violations. We call on all Catholic colleges and universities to do the same.
CONTACT: ), Mike McDonnell, SNAP Communications Manager (267-261-0578, [email protected]), Zach Hiner, SNAP Executive Director (517-974-9009, [email protected])
(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for 30 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
Winter Appeal 2023
To our friends,
2023 has been a long year with many ups and downs for us all. As we close out the year, we at SNAP hope that you are feeling like you are on your way to being healthy, fulfilled, and happy. This past year has brought both successes and challenges. Thanks to the support you have shown in the past, we’ve been able to celebrate the good days and weather the stormy ones. Now, we are once again asking for your support as we work to support survivors new and old as we ‘Move SNAP Forward.’
At SNAP we are proud to have hosted a very well-attended conference in August 2023. This event allowed us to gather friends, survivors, advocates, and allies for a weekend of camaraderie and connection. We were so happy to be able to welcome many first-time attendees to gather in person and are already looking forward to the next conference.
To strengthen our movement for justice, healing, and prevention, SNAP will be expanding our peer support and providing more volunteer opportunities in the coming year. Through this great work, we are ensuring survivor voices are represented as we work for significant change that will benefit children and survivors.
Right now, survivors worldwide are getting the help they need from SNAP, and more and more reach out to us daily, but we need your help to keep those programs going and get our volunteers the training they need to thrive.
Your tax-deductible gift to SNAP can help offset the cost of our important mission. If you are not in a position to contribute, you can still support us by sharing this letter with those who can. As we continue to fight for survivors across the globe, your donation or sharing the great work SNAP does will help us continue our work to protect the vulnerable, heal the wounded, and prevent abuse.
Your donation ensures SNAP will be there for those who need us more than ever!
Warmly,
Michael W. McDonnell, C.P.S.
Interim Executive Director
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