Weimar University is listed in the official directory of the Seventh-day Adventist church. [1] Many prominent conservative leaders frequently visit this institution to give commencement speeches or take part in other events. On August 8, 2022, a sexual harassment lawsuit was filed against the university and a former vice president. The complaint alleges that Weimar University did not do enough to stop the “willfully, wantonly, recklessly, torturously, strictly liable, statutorily liable or otherwise, for the injuries” committed against a young girl, a girl who was a former student, former employee, and the daughter of a Seventh-day Adventist pastor who was the men’s dean at Weimar University at the time of the alleged sexual assault.
Pastor Vasily Osadchuck, Melissa Osadchuck’s father, is described above on Weimar’s YouTube page as the “dean of men” at Weimar.
Melissa Osadchuck is the daughter of a Seventh-day Adventist pastor by the name of Vasily Osadchuck. [2] Pastor Osadchuck moved from Texas to California so that his children could attend Weimar. While at Weimar, Pastor Osadchuck worked at the institution’s “theology department,” “agriculture” department, and taught “Bible at the Academy.” His wife, Karis Osadchuck, worked at a nearby healthcare facility as a physical therapist. [2] Pastor Vasily Osadchuck eventually became the “men’s dean” at Weimar at the time that his daughter Melissa Osadchuck alleges that she was sexually assaulted by Dr. George Araya, the Vice-President for Academic Affairs. [3] Pastor Visily Osadchuck and Dr. George Araya were on the same staff at Weimar, according to a now-deleted page. You can still view this page because nothing is truly deleted. [3]
Dr. George Araya,left, at Weimar’s 2021 graduation.
According to court documents provided by the website, Intelligent Adventist, Melissa Osadchuck was hired as an “admissions representative” at Weimar and her “duties included taking phone calls, processing applications for potential students, and coordinating campus tours for students and families.” [4] It is alleged in the lawsuit that Dr. George Araya, Vice President for Academic Affairs, began sexually harassing Melissa Osadchuck. The lawsuit states the following:
“Dr. Araya started the calls asking for work reports and then steered the conversations to details about his sexual experiences with men and women. Dr. Araya said, “Melissa, God has created us as sexual beings, and it is important for you to be aware of your sexuality. I can tell you are not as comfortable as you should be discussing it with me. You need to learn to be comfortable in your sexuality, or it will begin to control you. I can tell that you are a highly sexual being like I am. I am what I am, and I have learned to manage it,” which made Ms. Osadchuck uncomfortable. He made remarks about Ms. Osadchuck’s appearance mentioning that he got aroused when he saw her in the office and wanted to see her naked in a G-string.” [4]
“In or about October 2021, Dr. Araya called Ms. Osadchuck into his office for a meeting. In the end, he steered the conversation to ask Ms. Osadchuck personal questions about her life. She told him she didn’t see why he continuously wanted to know the details of her personal life and dismissed herself. Dr. Araya beat Ms. Osadchuck to the door, blocking her path. He then asked her for a hug before permitting her to leave. Dr. Araya began hugging her right away and also started kissing her. Dr. Araya said, “Don’t scream!” Ms. Osadchuck, in shock, froze as Dr. Araya continued kissing her, groping her breast and vagina. She attempted to push him off, but he continued to kiss and grope her before finally releasing her, putting his finger over his lips as a command for her to keep quiet about what had just occurred.” [4]
“On or about November 11, 2021, Ms. Osadchuck messaged her supervisor Margaret Gallant (Ms. Gallant), asking to speak with her in person. Later that morning, Ms. Osadchuck told Ms. Gallant about the ongoing sexual harassment from Dr. Araya. 17. Ms. Osadchuck also spoke to the President of Weimar University, Dr. Neil Nedley (Dr. Nedley), about the ongoing harassment. Dr. Nedley assured Ms. Osadchuck he’d address the matter with Dr. Araya and asked if she was okay with working for the rest of the semester. Ms. Osadchuck later sent Dr. Nedley an email stating she would give it some thought. 18. Later that day, Dr. Nedley called Ms. Osadchuck and explained that Dr. Araya confessed to overstepping his boundaries with her and said he would resign from his position as VPAA (Vice-President of Academic Affairs). Dr. Nedley also told Ms. Osadchuck that Dr. Araya could potentially stay hired in the Education Department.” [4]
Dr. Nedley with Melissa at her 2021 graduation ceremony at Weimar.
After being sexually assaulted and subjected to months of sexually explicit comments, Melissa told Dr. Nedley, the director and president of Weimar, that she didn’t feel safe seeing the alleged perpetrator, Dr. George Araya, at different times on campus or around the campus church. Melissa expressed her stress and discomfort at Weimar’s continued employment of Dr. George Araya. According to the lawsuit, nothing was done, and she quit out of concern for her safety and peace of mind. She filed her lawsuit eight months later, on August 8, 2022.
The problem is that, given the nature of the allegations, and especially if the perpetrator allegedly confessed to overstepping his boundaries with the pastor’s daughter, Weimar had the responsibility to protect and accommodate its employees. Unfortunately, as is the case with many religious institutions (like Rome), we rarely see the churches acting correctly in these circumstances.
Dr. Nedley (left), Melissa (center), and Dr. Araya (right).
The sad part of this story is that not only did Melissa leave Weimar, her father, Pastor Osadchuck, is no longer there either. The alleged victim and the alleged victim’s father are gone. Weimar now has a new “men’s dean.” However, the alleged perpetrator remained. He was simply moved around. The questions I have for Weimar are these:
• How do you retain a vice president who allegedly admitted to “crossing the line” with a pastor’s daughter, the very same pastor who also worked for Weimar?
• How can you simply move him around as if nothing happened?
• How can you allow the alleged perpetrator, who “confessed,” to continue working with the father, who is also a pastor and dean at the same institution?
• And why is it that Pastor Visily Osadchuck is no longer employed at Weimar, and why has he been replaced, but the alleged perpetrator is still employed in the “education department?”
If the allegations are true, and Dr. George Araya admitted to crossing the line with a coworker’s daughter, and if Dr. Nedley just moved him around knowing what the allegations were, and didn’t send Araya packing, and didn’t consider the thoughts or feelings of his faithful staff, the dean of men, or his daughters’ feelings – then we have arrived at a point where even many of the church’s so-called conservatives are rotten at their core.
Dr Nedley with Dr. Araya on the now deleted faculty page from Weimar. Pastor Visily Osadchuck is also listed together with Dr. Nedley and Dr. Araya on this deleted page as the “men’s dean.” [5]
So a lawsuit has been filed, and unless Weimar settles out of court and pays a large sum of money, the alleged perpetrator, Dr. George Araya, will have his day in court and will have to appear in person to answer these “confessed” allegations. What makes Weimar’s case problematic, in my opinion, is if there was communication between Melissa and Dr. Nedley with regards to certain admissions by Dr. Araya, and if Nedley knew this and did not protect or accommodate Melissa, and she had to continue seeing Dr. George Araya again and again on campus, then those are the facts that the jury will hear when determining Weimar’s complicity.
But this situation should never have come to this. Weimar could have avoided this entire situation if they had followed the clear instructions about these “allegedly” false teachers who “confess” that they have perverted our youth and the truth of God. God expressly states:
“Purge out therefore the old leaven” 1 Corinthians 5:7.
What was Paul talking about? Well, read 1 Corinthians 5:1-6; it’s very clear what he is talking about. Paul talks about shameful situations that were happening in the church. And why must this kind of leaven be purged out? The answer is clear:
“A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.” Galatians 5:9.
On another page that was deleted by Weimar (which is never really deleted), Dr. George Araya’s bio is as follows:
“With almost 40 years of experience in education and administration, Dr. Araya comes to Weimar College from Desert Sands Unified School District in La Quinta, California, where he served as Director of Educational Technology and Information Systems.” [6]
“Dr. Araya earned his doctorate degree in administration and education from Loma Linda University. In addition to leading the education program at Weimar College, he maintains his adjunct professorship at La Sierra College and California State University San Bernardino at the Palm Desert campus.” [6]
Sources
[1] https://www.adventistdirectory.org/ViewEntity.aspx?EntityID=18603
[2] https://nacogdochestx.adventistchurch.org/about/pastor-vasiliy-osadchuck
[3] https://web.archive.org/web/20210921001959/https://weimar.edu/academics/faculty-directory/
[5] https://web.archive.org/web/20210921001959/https://weimar.edu/academics/faculty-directory/
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It is sad to hear such things happen to our young ones
A sad state of affairs.
This is a no win situation for everyone.
IT SOUNDS LIKE THEY ARE IMITATING THE “MOTHER”,WHO GETS RID OF WHISTLEBLOWERS & RETAINS PEDOPHILE PRIESTS,(THOUGH IN THIS INSTANCE IT ISNT PEDOPHILIA,BUT IS SEXUAL HARASSMENT…)
They will most likely settle out of court and try to secure a non-disclosure agreement to keep everything confidential.
True. And then they will transfer him to another unsuspecting school where he will repeat his lewd behavior and he will get a promotion and increase in pay…history repeats itself! Good ole boys club looking out after each other. No public rebuke either…nope! Can’t have that! What will people say???!!!
Vengeance is Mine, saith the Lord, in full measure
IT ALSO SOUNDS AS IF THE PEOPLE ARE NOT CONSIDERED TO BE AS IMPORTANT AS “OUR HOLY INSTITUTION”…PROTECT THE SYSTEM,SEND OUT THE TROUBLER…WE ARE BEGINNING TO MIMIC THE ROMAN MODEL A BIT TOO MUCH…THIS IS AN OMINOUS DEVELOPMENT THAT SHOULD BE WATCHED CLOSELY…
I understand that Weimar will not say anything because their lawyers do not want them to make comments due to pending litigation, but if we are a church family, why can’t they just come out and say whether or not Dr. Araya is still working for them? Is this about damage control or about doing the right thing?
Weimar Institute begin its slow but certain slide into liberalism after the split many years ago that sent the more theologically “conservative” to establish Hartland Insititue (also now liberalizing for the same reasons). Weimar recently became fully accredited, firmly establishing them as no longer conservative. The root problem at the very beginning of Weimar was their reliance on degrees and licensed medical persons for their NEWSTART program. None of this was originally intended by the “blue print” clearly set forth in the writings of Ellen White. The demise of Weimar was, unfortunately, predestined from its very beginning. Presently, it is unwise to consider Weimar as a safe place for truly conservative SDA’s.
I would add that it is unsafe for EVERYONE!!! For the comments purportedly made by Mr Araya that he had experience with men and women as per the quote above. Disgusting! The Bible addresses this type of sin and it involves millstones and the sea.
He needs to be disfellowshipped. Sin should not be tolerated within the camp.
Adultery and perverseness Should be instantaneous grounds for a Dismissal from all institutions.
EGW stated something along the lines of “those who practise animal exercises & pugilism are unfit to teach in our institutions”
How much more so for those who would attempt to force themselves onto others?
Perhaps all the students and staff should wear body cameras like in law enforcement to deter crimes from the “teachers” what an extremely low standard and abhorrent situation.
This sounds like multiple court cases waiting to happen, if this story is true, then it’s doubtful this was the first time He’d done such a thing, there’s probably many girls/guys with similar harassment charges to come forward,
“I am what I am” used like he did is Blasphemous quotation what God Spoke to Moses in Exodus 3:14 making this whole scenario much creepier,
Akin to a Catholic Priest using Their Religiousity/position to violate people and then saying it was God not them….🤮
For the Holy Spirit to come back, people have to leave.
What do we expect nowadays, if we copy rome then we behave like rome, we are just normalizing perversity and it becomes a crime to speak against it..
Loyalty appears to overrule faithfulness.
I used to believe that we the Sda are special people but not anymore. Its nothing special about us ,absolutely nothing. We are spiritual politicians ,exactly like the Catholics
What G just said is the most truthful thing I will read today. The SDA church, which once prided itself on being a “peculiar” people, has gotten to the point where it smells, looks, and acts like the rest of the world. THIS church is the “remnant” church? I don’t think so. The Adventist church is on the road to making itself irrelevant just like most other churches.
In Adventism, we need a #metoo movement to combat sexual abuse and harassment.
I wonder how many other innocent young gentleman and ladies, girls and boys were damaged by this “man of god?” When this act is proven, a process of castration should follow, a great reminder for these “educated dogs.”
A pastor friend of mine witnessed a church school teacher molesting a grade school student and called the police. The right thing to do in my opinion. He lost his job because his conference wanted to deal with it in their own way. Which we know isn’t right.
When I worked in my own conference office, they kept moving around a minister for his sins against boys.
There will be an accounting for not only the perpetrators but also those who tried to sweep it under the rug!
I pray for all children! 😢🙏🙏🙏
I know personally of a pastor who groomed and then started an ‘affair ‘ with a girl who was maybe 15 years old at the time. The girl’s dad died suddenly so the ‘good’ pastor offered to ‘counsel’ the girl. This happened just a few years after I moved away. He was close to 3 times her age!
When I went to this same church he “pastored” he would invite the teenagers over to his house to eat pizza and hang out and then after several invites he eventually introduced us to Benny Hill late night tv. Benny Hill was an adult viewers only show that I didn’t even know existed until our ‘pastor’ turned it on…My friends and I went a few times but stopped when the pastor got weird (turning on Benny Hill). He was grooming us and he eventually was molesting more than one teenage girl. He invited 3 of us girls to go with him in his vehicle and two of us were told to wait at the back of the vehicle while he spoke privately to the other girl up in the cab! so I and the other girl waited as we were told… when we got back into the vehicle she was acting strange and NOT happy and so was he; acting weird too…she never said anything but I found out years later that he molested her too. And as far as I know he still goes to that church on occasion…I was told that he went to prison but is out and has been for years. I felt sorry for his wife! Wonderful lady!
Wow! I just looked my old “pastor” up and he was blogging for my old church just 3 years ago…I guess they don’t know about his background…
I just called my old church office and left them a message that they should look into his background…and briefly told them my experience.
We cannot be so desperate for help that we turn a blind eye to people’s history especially when it involves predatory behavior against children.
Not surprised. Conservative Adventism has quite a problem with mishandling of abuse. This is far from the first story I know of. The problem is that everyone wants to act shocked that this has happened – when the Adventist church quite literally creates this. When you have insular communities saturated with purity culture, misogyny, nepotism, and repression, you end up with predators who have vast amounts of authority. The church has such warped views on human sexuality that abuse is inevitable.
George Araya should be disciplined/ disfellowshipped and should pay a substantial amount or better for him to go to jail. He does not deserve to be a teacher or mentor in any school because of his sickening values and morals. He should n at Weimar be a faculty member. Melissas Dad should be reinstated to his job or be paid a very good sum of money.
Thanks for sharing this. Every church and institution needs to have sexual harassment policies to address these situations.
There’s certainly a lot to learn about this subject. I like all the points you made.
I was looking up information on Dr. Nedley, and found this sad article. It appears that the incident was not handled well, and you are right to say that SDA’s are not special. We’re sinful human beings, just like everyone else. However, the purpose of the SDA church is special and unique, and it’s not for us to disparage the “apple of God’s eye”.
I’m sure you’ve heard this said before, but this seems an appropriate place to bring it up again. If you ever find a perfect church, by all means, don’t join it. You’ll ruin it!