“The hardest part was feeling so alone. So absolutely alone. No one to talk to. We could not talk to our mentor; she was doing the cheating. We did not feel comfortable going to another faculty member because we were not sure how that person would react. We were certain the department chair would side with Betsy, a rising star and a woman.”

“Were we in a good lab? Yes. Did we feel welcomed into a community of support? Yes. Did we know how to handle this matter? Not a clue. And we could not turn to the one person in the community who usually would help us.”

“And I could not get the issue out of my mind. As a Christian, I did lots of praying. I also sought counseling with my pastor, George Schleif of the Fitchburg Community Fellowship. But I truly thought Betsy had just accidently put in that figure, so I did not want to make a ruckus about it if it was not true. Should I do something? Should I wait for the lab to come to a decision as a group? With my pastor‘s guidance, I decided on the latter course.”

“This was hard for me. I am a type A person, someone who wants to go and get it done. But the spiritual message I was hearing was ‘Wait. Patience. Allow the process to work.’”

At the end of October, Garrett confronted Professor Goodwin. Later, he recorded his memory of the conversation. According to his computer log, Betsy “became extremely nervous and repeatedly said, ‘I fucked up.‘”

As evidence mounted, Allen sensed confusion and depression overtaking the group. And isolation. The students all seemed to believe that an approach to the faculty would result only in their circling the wagons to protect the senior woman in the department. Allen's friends were alone, and terrified.

Gradually, Mary Allen came to wonder whether Goodwin had in fact done something wrong. She began to think again that perhaps she should find a new lab.