Akin sent an email to the students at SBTS giving them a heads up about the article and the incident. He also speaks about the steps the seminary is taking to investigate the allegations. Akin writes:
Today an article was released in the Washington Post that mentions Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. The focus of the article is the handling of a rape accusation that involved two students in 2003. The event took place under a previous administration. I was only recently made aware of this event. Since being made aware of the event, I have asked our General Counsel to review the actions taken by the previous administration, and we have consulted with law enforcement. I have also spoken with the former student who has brought the accusation to make sure I have an understanding of the events, and to let her know of our love for her.
While this happened 15 years ago under a previous administration, I want to make sure the campus knows that we have a zero-tolerance policy on campus regarding rape, sexual harassment, abuse, etc. If you ever are the victim of any of these, I want to encourage you to immediately report what has happened to the authorities in addition to working with our Student Life division to receive care and counseling.
On our website, www.sebts.edu, you will find resources on Sexual Harassment Awareness and Prevention as well as Sex Offense Awareness and Prevention under Community Life>>Campus Security. In addition, our Student Handbook can be found under the Community Life section of the website. It details the expectations that the institution has regarding moral purity and actions towards others.
Thank you for helping us make sure that we maintain a safe environment for our students and community. We treat each other with dignity and respect not based solely on the laws in this country, but primarily because of how we are to treat others, believers or not, because we are ambassadors of King Jesus!
In Christ’s Service,
Danny Akin
The board of trustees at SWBTS is meeting this evening to discuss whether Patterson should be removed from his current position as president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth. Patterson is scheduled to speak at the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting in June, a point which some contend sends the wrong message about the SBC and how they view women.
