EDITORIAL – By necessity, TRU probe leaves unanswered questions
A page from heavily redacted TRU report on misconduct allegations.
An editorial by Mel Rothenburger.
THE THOMPSON RIVERS UNIVERSITY report on allegations of misconduct against two of its senior administrators can be summed up like this: some allegations against one of them were substantiated, none of them against the other was.
Thus ends many months of speculation about who did or said what that resulted in 55 complaints against the two. The accusations included inappropriate comments about women in the workplace, personal harassment and a derogatory comment about indigenous people.
Ten of 23 claims against one of the men were substantiated. All 22 against the other were not. While the university has posted the 527-page, $1 million report on its website, most of it is redacted; page after page detailing the allegations is blacked out.
Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and a retired newspaper editor. He is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.
ArmchairMayor.ca 
So now both of these individuals have had their names dragged through the mud for a couple of years now, on what turned out to be largely unsubstantiated accusations of improper conduct. It is very strange to me that accusers can remain anonymous when their accusations turn out to be false, yet their targets are named the first day the accusation becomes news, or as it turns out, not news. But the damage is done.