The Vermont Cynic leadership team has removed the article “I felt morally terrible for months” because it had the potential to inadvertently identify at least one person we had taken great care not to identify. The Cynic leaders are highly aware of the impact that our journalistic endeavors can have, and we regret any hurt this might have caused.

However, the key concerns raised in this story are still relevant and important. At what point should students in any club or organization be required to work with organization members who make them feel uncomfortable? To whom — that is student or University leaders — can they turn to for help? How seriously should those concerns be taken by those leaders? What policies and procedures are in place when students feel uncomfortable, and who has the power or responsibility to remove these members? 

The Cynic noticed a problem: Many of our institutions whose job it is to handle something like this, are not well-equipped to. That problem persists.

In the coming days, we will be assessing how we can still cover this issue without causing potential harm to individuals whom we sought not to identify.

We would like to thank all of the sources who were interviewed for this piece. We thank you for trusting us with your stories. The discussions and conversations this article have started must continue, as it is only through the civilized exchanging of views that real change can be made.