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Suit: Church knowingly let abuser in youth program

By WTOP Staff

NIGEL DUARA
Associated Press

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Two 50-year-old men filed a lawsuit Tuesday claiming the Seventh-Day Adventist Church put a man known to abuse children in charge of its youth program in the 1970s and kept him in that position even after learning he was accused of abusing a child in its ranks.

The men filed the suit in Oregon, seeking $15 million from the Maryland-based church and its Northwest and Oregon branches. The men say they were abused in the 1970s but only discovered two years ago that the church knew it had a convicted child molester in the program and did nothing.

The church did not immediately respond to calls and emails seeking comment.

The lawsuit contains photocopies of several indictments and convictions of the former youth program leader, who is not being named by The Associated Press because he is not a defendant in the lawsuit.

The first indictments were in the late 1960s and others continued through the 1980s. The man was last released from prison in 2000.

The program leader was accused of fondling a child in 1968. He was then indicted again for sexual abuse of a 13-year-old boy in 1969.

Plaintiffs’ attorneys provided documentation showing he pleaded guilty to a 1970 charge, and the other two charges were dropped.

The lawsuit alleges church leadership knew of the charges and convictions, and put the man in charge of a youth group anyway. By 1975, he was again accused of two counts of sex abuse. It’s unclear what happened to that case, but the lawsuit alleges the church knew of the allegations and kept him in the youth program, at one point even promoting him to oversee other groups.

The suit accuses the church of sexual battery, negligence in allowing the youth leader to commit other acts of abuse, committing fraud by promoting the program as safe, and intentionally committing emotional distress on the two men by failing to address their complaints as children in the 1970s.

The attorneys in the case, Steve Crew and Peter Janci of Portland, say the number of boys abused is unknown. The man was the central figure in another suit in 2011 against the church that claimed he abused a man and the church did nothing.

The two plaintiffs in the current case are connected by the claims but have otherwise led different lives. One plaintiff says he went to medical school, became an anesthesiologist and thought he was past the childhood sexual abuse. He remains a devout member of the church, even helping lead youth programs.

In 2012, he said stories about sex abuse in other organizations reminded him of his abuse in the 1970s at the hands of the program leader.

The other plaintiff said he’s left the church. He said he told church elders that the program leader abused him but they told him he was a liar and it kept going on.

In October 1980, the man was convicted of second-degree sodomy with a child younger than 14 and found not guilty of second-degree sex abuse by Lane County Circuit Court Judge Edwin E. Allen. In 1986, he was again found guilty of sodomy.

A 1984 motion by a prosecutor in one of the criminal cases indicates the man fled Oregon while under indictment, first going to Sacramento, California, before leaving with a teenage boy for Alaska, where they lived for two years under assumed names until he was arrested.

The details of his 1980s charges in Alaska were not immediately available.

___

Reach the reporter on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/nigelduara

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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