Friday, July 27, 2012

Meth Labs, Fluke And Sensitivity Training At Georgetown University

Harbin Hall Georgetown
Georgetown University is no stranger to scandals. In 2010 a meth lab was discovered in one of the student dorms (Harbin Hall) and Sandra Fluke, a Georgetown law student drew major attention to the school when she appeared in a hearing to discuss birth control; specifically the Jesuit institution’s refusal to cover birth control under the student health care plan. Could yet another scandal be brewing?
Enter the Community Scholars Program at the Center for Multicultural Equity and Access. The CSP reaches out to disadvantaged youth and provides full scholarships and assistance for to GU. By all accounts it is a wonderful program that has great intentions and has helped many young people achieve their dream of attending college. Here is how they explain themselves at their website: 
The Community Scholars Program provides Georgetown students with the unique opportunity to thrive. Scholars are carefully selected during the admissions process based on their academic achievement, impressive co-curricular accomplishments, and commitment to the transformative power of education. They typically represent diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, and are often first generation college students.
Scholars attend a five-week summer intensive on campus to prepare for the upcoming school year. .
Here is what is listed at the website as the course curriculum.
  • The summer residential component is constructed around two credit-bearing courses – Humanities and Writing 009, and a second Summer School course. The Humanities and Writing course is an intensive critical-reading and writing course taught by Georgetown faculty with graduate-student writing tutors. A second Summer Session course, chosen by each student’s academic dean, provides participants with an opportunity to get a head start on their credit hours before beginning their first semester. Courses include Theology, Philosophy, Government, and Math, depending on their school and intended course of study.
  • Scholars live in a residence hall along with Resident Advisors, who provide an extended orientation to life at Georgetown.
  • Continuation of Humanities and Writing 009 course into the Fall semester. This course counts as six (6) credits.
  • Fourth Hour Study Group for Core Courses – Led by former students who excelled in the course. Fourth hour support will be offered for Microeconomics, Chemistry and Calculus.
  • Freshman Year Support – This support includes mandatory attendance at College Readiness Seminar Series, meetings with the Academic Advisor, and various social events.
  • Ongoing Support - Ongoing activities throughout the remainder of a Scholar’s Georgetown career, including one-on-one meetings with the Academic Advisor; special faculty seminars; cultural and social outings; and community service opportunities.    
Sounds pretty basic. What is not included in this summary is one other workshop that students were required to attend as a part of the CSP. It was an LBGT “Sensitivity Training” course and apparently it was a requirement for students attending the program. According to multiple sources who wish to remain anonymous, although many students were uncomfortable about being forced to attend the training they were told they would face disciplinary action if they did not participate. One student who has yet to be officially named refused and was allegedly escorted off campus by Georgetown Campus Police. He was expelled from the summer program but there is a possibility he will still be eligible to attend regular classes in the fall.  And in case you were wondering if this is true, here is video taken at the actual workshop and slipped to us exclusively here at kiradavis.net. Also see Talitha McEachin’s reporting on this story for more info.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

GOD LOVES ALL

Anonymous said...

GOD LOVES ALL

Maria said...

Does God love meth labs, sodomomy and contraception?

Anonymous said...

You guys hate modern universities and the testing & creating of new knowledge.

Unknown said...

I've read about this elsewhere, and it doesn't immediately pass the smell test. Specifically, the "escorted off campus" part makes me think something else might be at work here.

I messed up in a lot of ways when I was in college. I saw other people do amazingly stupid things when I was in college. And NONE of us was ever escorted off campus for it.

Not paying tuition? Not escorted off campus for it!

Fights or even crimes in the dorms? Not escorted off campus for it.

Generally, the only time people get "escorted" out of that sort of scene is when they WANT to get escorted out of that sort of scene because they NEED to in order to make their point. Occupy kids who need opposition or else there is no point.

Failure to fulfill a program requirement just doesn't get you there.

Yet that component of this story is in every version I've seen.

We'll see what comes out as more comes out, but...

Maria said...

" It is remarkable that when the authority of God is obscured or denied, mankind falls back rapidly upon a totalitarianism that runs roughshod over the claims of individual conscience".

--The Catholic Catechism by Servus Dei John Hardon SJ

Anonymous said...

I love that Fr. Hardon supported individual conscience!

I wish he didn't engage in criminal activity by helping to harbor a sexual predator.

Anonymous said...

Yes Maria god does love sinners

Anonymous said...

Yes Maria god does love sinners

Anonymous said...

God also loves the expansion of the human mind inquiry of the most profound thoughts and dialouge

Anonymous said...

God also loves the expansion of the human mind inquiry of the most profound thoughts and dialouge

Anonymous said...

FR HARDON IS NOT A THEOLOGIAN HES SOME MIDWESTERN PRIEST WHO HARBORED A CRIMINAL

Anonymous said...

1. It wasn't a meth lab. Meth labs are volatile and dangerous. That doesn't make it right, but it is an important distinction. 2. Ensuring that students are sensitive to and respectful of others is not scandalous. People can disagree in good conscience about whether the unitive and procreative aspects of sexual intercourse are inseparable. One may believe that they are inseparable but respect others who feel, believe, and act otherwise.