Bit of backstory here, I understand that this is really long, but please bear with me- I've been enrolled in a Forestry and Natural Resources program in a Junior college. It really is a decent opportunity, because there aren't many of these programs about in Junior and Community Colleges (despite being so important so we can care for our forests properly). And unique because this school is tucked into mountainous forests - a case of direct application: get degree then get job in the same place. Kismet!
In addition, the students and this one particular instructor in this program are really tight knit (actually essentially there was only the one instructor for the entire program - "he was the program"). Once you're accepted - you're family. (Of course, all of this is only on paper; if you look closer there is some "issues,"... but more on that later.) This last aspect was particularly appealing to me, because a decent number of my closest relatives passed during Covid, including the aunt that I saw as a grandmother. I was devastated and desperately seeking people.
Over this last summer (2023), this Junior College came out with a brand new set of classes: River Ecology, which doesn't sound exciting. But what it really was was an entire summer of rafting - once you paid the cost of tuition (which was really low), you got three solid months of white water rafting and camping trips. You didn't even need to pay transportation or food - it was wild! (Like hundreds of dollars worth of activity for like 40 bucks a unit).
Unfortunately, those troublesome "issues" came out of the woodwork over that summer, which included: intense backbiting and bullying amidst the students (especially this Teacher's Assistant, who bullied me and other students relentlessly). The instructors (including the backbone of the Natural Resources program) saw this as an opportunity to drink, smoke pot and do mushrooms - it was a summer long party for them. They were high and drunk the entire time (I am literally not exaggerating - during one 3-day trip alone two 30 gallon ice chests were dedicated only to beer), especially when directly responsible for students' safety - even while on raging and really dangerous rivers (like the Merced in California, which had 4+ class rapids at really high water that year!) One of the instructors took a "microdose" of mushrooms before a trip that he was guiding, and dumped a load of undertrained students into white water - so dangerous! If just one had just hit their head falling into the rocks, they would have drowned, no question. In addition, sexual harassment of the female students by the three male instructors was not only the norm - it was expected.
Long story short - I was sexually assaulted on July the 4th by one of the part-time rafting instructors, and experienced weeks' worth of really uncomfortable harassment occurring before and after, including: sexually explicit/invasive actions and words, and threats on my grades and physically safety if I reported him. And these threats were made on school campus and during school trips! Initially, because of these threats I was hesitant to report him, but I finally did to the school.
Now this is the part that I've been told I was the ass for: During the Title IX (Sexual Harassment) investigation the following semester, all of the instructors from the summer were put on Paid Administration (meaning that they were literally dragged from classes, mid-class, and were essentially told not to come back until the investigation was over - but they were paid while that happened, so the school didn't get sued). The school only does this - if and only if - the instructors were suspected of being a danger to the students. No DuH!
The whole program exploded! It was like every single student took it personally, especially that Teacher's Assistant -SHE put bleach into my gas tank on my car and started a personal vendetta (that dozens of students joined into) against me and mine.
And despite the fact that these students' fully acknowledged that these things happened, not only during the summer but for years before, it was MY fault that I "DestRoyeD the WHole proGRam!" because I reported them for glaring and blatantly hazardous behavior, and the potential that what happened to me probably happened to gosh knows how many other female and Male students (one of the instructors was BI and liked to "Toy" with the LGBQ+ students).
So, Am I the Ass for "personally attacking" the Backbone of the Forestry and Natural Resources program at this Junior College, and destroying the program?
River Ecology Classes
