Two former Liberty University students and alleged rape victims have joined a petición calling for the school’s accrediting body to place Liberty on probation.

Both women, Sarah Mays and Helen Wood, were part of a class-action lawsuit against Liberty for allegedly mishandling their cases and the cases of other women. Both refused what they saw as lowball offers by Liberty, choosing to retain their voice, rather than let Liberty “buy (their) silence.”

The petition, spearheaded by Liberty parents and students, comes after a bombshell report alleging that Liberty violated federal laws by not reporting on-campus crimes and deterring victims from reporting. For those alleged violations, Liberty University is facing a potential, “unprecedented” $37.5 million fine, as El Informe Roys (TRR) reported today.

The petition claims that Liberty “deviated from (its) original mission” and urges the U.S. Education Department (ED) to open a Title IX investigation into the school. It also urges Liberty’s accrediting body, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), to place Liberty on probation until the school “adequately addresses these deficiencies.”

Mays, 40, who lives in Forest, Virginia, turned down a $35,000 settlement offered by Liberty University last spring, which would have required her to sign a non-disclosure agreement. In 2001, Mays reportedly was gang-raped by five men in a parking lot that Liberty owns. According to Mays, she suffered extensive emotional and mental trauma because of the way Liberty mishandled her rape case.

“As an 18-year-old girl, I allowed Liberty University and Lynchburg City to shame me and essentially silence me,” Mays told TRR. “I stayed silent for over 20 years. In refusing to settle, I made up my mind that I would speak out. With this letter, I believe the time to take action is now.” Fourteen years after Mays’ on-campus rape, Helen Wood, today 27, was allegedly assaulted by a known serial rapist who was still allowed on Liberty’s campus. 

Mays and Wood are associated with a group of parents and students who have published an open letter to SACSCOC officials, presenting a detailed case for the accrediting body to sanction Liberty. The letter alleges Liberty operates with “a lack of integrity, disregard for its mission, administrative incapability, and deliberate indifference to student, faculty, and staff health and safety. . . “

In an interview conducted via e-mail, Mays and Wood provide details of their advocacy, which they say is grounded in “love for the school.” It has been edited for length and clarity.

The stories behind the petition

TRR: Who are you calling on to sign this petition and why? 

Sarah Mays: Liberty University currently has more than 100,000 students and at least twice as many parents and grandparents of those students. They should demand better from a Christian university that claims to “train champions for Christ.” So should millions of evangelical Christians across America.

The behavior that has been revealed at Liberty University was very familiar to me personally. During the years-long lawsuit process, Liberty leaders and attorneys treated me and other plaintiffs incredibly wrong. We were fighting to get them to prioritize immediate needed changes on-campus.

In April that year, Liberty was lighting the Freedom Tower teal in recognition of sexual assault awareness month. Yet during that time, actual students were still getting hurt with zero support. It highlighted to me the hypocritical, outward-facing façade and deliberate indifference Liberty displays towards women on campus. I made up my mind that I was going to be a voice for past, current, and future survivors.

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM). In recognition of this important month, the Freedom Tower will be illuminated teal, the official color of SAAM, every Wednesday in April. To contact the OEC/Title IX please call (434)-592-4999 or go to Demoss 1232. pic.twitter.com/WqFX6jtN4R

— Liberty University Security & Public Safety (@LU_PublicSafety) April 25, 2023

A year and a half ago, I walked away, refusing to settle rather than allowing them to buy my silence. I walked with my head held high and waited for the right time to speak—which was with this letter. I think it would be appropriate for anyone connected to Liberty or any evangelical to sign this petition.

TRR: As another survivor, Helen, why did you refuse to settle and instead go public with this letter? 

Helen Wood: Writing this letter is a public statement that there are people who care about the future of Liberty. Similar to Sarah, I decided against settling in the lawsuit because of how quickly Liberty privately backtracked on promises about campus safety. They talked a great talk to the public. But behind the scenes, specific changes to policies and added safety procedures never happened.

We need to be as loud as possible to gain federal attention about Liberty’s consistent indifference in upholding even the most basic of standards. We believe investigations into several Liberty departments and leaders need to happen.

What survivors want

TRR: What do you think are the most egregious ways that Liberty has violated the standards of this accrediting body?

Mays: The Bible commands, “Thou shall not take the Lord’s name in vain.” Christians understand this to mean that they shouldn’t utter “God damn it.” Jews have a more complete interpretation. They explain that this commandment means that you should not do something to enrich yourself or harm others and then claim, “I did this for God.”

That’s what Liberty has done for decades. They have been far more concerned with the outside of the cup, than they have with the inside. And with the reporting of this investigation, top Liberty leaders Jonathan Falwell, Dondi Costin, and Jerry Prevo are claiming LU is a victim of secular persecution.

The part that demonstrates their deliberate indifference is one of the findings in this draft ED report: that Liberty does not have the capacity to administer a safe campus. In other words, Liberty University—with an annual budget of over $1.4 billion dollars and which receives more than $900,000,000 annually in Title IV student aid—lacks the administrative capability to adhere to federal law.  

They advertise Liberty as the “safest campus in Virginia,” and we want to see that become reality. We want current and future students and staff to be protected and have the support they need during difficult situations that may arise.

How Liberty has responded

TRR: In response, Liberty has stated how “damaging” the leaked report is and claims the school “prioritizes compliance and transparency.” What is your reaction?

Mays: I’d describe recent statements from Liberty President Dondi Costin—to put it in biblical terms—as demonstrating a stiff neck and a hard heart. In this petition and letter, we are asking for the Department of Education and SACSCOC to help soften it.

Those of us advocating for abuse survivors don’t expect perfection. As Christians, we understand everyone falls short and sins. But the key tenet of Western society and Christendom has been this: after you have harmed your neighbor, you apologize, ask forgiveness, and make restitution. That hasn’t happened here.

TRR: Your letter alleges Liberty’s Board of Trustees is complicit in these issues. Is there an example?

Mays: One member of LU’s Board of Trustees is Penny Nance, president of Concerned Women for America. But I guess she’s not as concerned for the women at Liberty. It certainly looks like Penny Nance subjugated her concern for young women to promoting herself and Liberty University.

She goes by Penny, but I think that must be just the opening bid. On Liberty University’s 2022 IRS Form 990 form, it lists a $50,000 donation from Liberty to her organization, Concerned Women for America. Did that buy Penny Nance’s silence? And how odd is it that a university donates money to board members’ organizations? I thought it was supposed to be the other way around.

Hope for the future

TRR:  What is your hope for the school and its future? 

Wood: It’s human to veer away from an original mission, especially once the founder has passed away. Today, a new generation of entrepreneurs and business-led individuals is managing Liberty. Having a true heart for change and then acting on it is the only way that Liberty can thrive going forward.

My hope is that Liberty can change this pattern of treating people as numbers on a stat board. That mindset ruins once-vibrant college students—only to leave them with years of therapy and mental health issues in their future. It’s time to turn inward, clean house, and renovate.

Mays: I grew up as a Liberty student, from Liberty Christian Academy to the university. I became a staff member for a time, and much of my daughter’s schooling has also been with Liberty. I love the school. I love many of the staff and professors.

Unfortunately, it seems they will not make these needed changes without external pressure. Imagine if Liberty took everything they spend in coverups and backtracking and put all of that money and effort into actually providing a safe campus? Maybe then they would get somewhere.

This story has been corrected. The petition “Reform Liberty University” can be found here. For updates, see their Facebook page “No Change Until.”

Periodista independiente Josh Shepherd escribe sobre fe, cultura y políticas públicas para varios medios outlets. He and his family live in the Washington, D.C. area.