Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed

"Is it really that difficult?" Mamie asked, her brow furrowed in confusion. "I mean, reporting Edna shouldn't be that hard, right? If Carlson's got enough evidence, public opinion can punish her way faster than some drawn-out legal process."

Once the buzz gets going, the university would have no choice but to step in. Everyone's watching, after all.

Scales nodded, but his expression was skeptical. "Sure, from an efficiency standpoint, reporting is the quickest route. But did you really take a good look at that post?"

"I did," Mamie replied, puzzled. "I've read it several times. What's wrong with it?"

"Carlson used his real name to report."

"So what if it's a real-name report?" Mamie asked, genuinely baffled.

Scales let out a weary sigh, looking at Mamie's innocent face. "When a student reports a professor, there are only two outcomes: either the report is successful, and the professor gets punished, or it fails, and the professor continues as before. But either way, for the student, what's coming next is gonna be a nightmare."

Mamie frowned. "I get it if the report fails-the professor might retaliate, make life difficult. But why would it be bad if it succeeds?"

"If the report succeeds, then

gets fired, maybe

someone like Carlson, who's in his final year of grad school, about to graduate-

Carlson might not graduate on time. Even if the school let him switch advisors, that

hard work over the past three

for nothing. A

who can't graduate is in a worse spot than

just hold on

more months, and he could soar with his degree in hand. But

Roseanne chimed in, having put her work aside, "he has

the current situation,

campus forum! Thirty pages of accusations aren't enough to bring Edna down?" Mamie

serious response was inevitable. But Roseanne and Scales were clearly

"Public opinion comes in waves; some louder than others. Right now,