In March of 2015, Inside Higher Ed published an article that changed everything for me. It didn’t mark the beginning of the harm—that had already happened, quietly, behind closed doors, under the weight of power and silence. But it did mark the moment the truth broke into the open. It marked the beginning of the fight.
That article was about me. About us. About students who did everything they were taught to do—speak up, protect others, act with integrity—and who were punished for it. We reported sexual harassment inside Phi Theta Kappa, the world’s largest honor society for two-year colleges. We didn’t want headlines. We wanted accountability. What we got was gaslighting, denial, and retaliation.
PTK Knew—and They Still Chose Silence
Before any journalist ever heard our story, we went to Phi Theta Kappa directly. We followed their process. We asked for confidentiality. We asked for a real, independent investigation into the behavior of one of their regional directors who had been making inappropriate comments, touching students, and abusing his position of power. We believed that if we kept it quiet and respectful, someone in leadership would do the right thing.
Instead, they did what too many institutions do: they protected the man, not the students.
Phi Theta Kappa dismissed our claims without even conducting an investigation. And when Inside Higher Ed asked why, Dr. Rod Risley, PTK’s executive director at the time, publicly called our allegations “false.” In the same breath, he admitted they never actually looked into them. That’s not just negligence. That’s willful disregard for student safety and dignity.
A $4 Million Severance to Protect the Brand
What happened next still stuns me. Instead of being fired, the man we reported left the organization with a severance. Not a quiet exit. A golden parachute. Phi Theta Kappa paid him four million dollars. That’s what it cost them to bury our truth and move on like nothing happened.
They didn’t support the students who spoke up. They didn’t acknowledge the harm. They didn’t issue a statement or an apology. There was no outreach, no transparency, no justice. Only silence. And a multi-million-dollar deal to make the problem disappear.
This wasn’t just about misconduct. It was about a culture of protectionism—where keeping up appearances mattered more than living up to the values they preach.
This Wasn’t About One Man
It would be easier if this were just one bad actor. One rogue director. One unfortunate incident. But it wasn’t. This was an entire system working as designed. Advisors were pressured to stay silent. Staff were told to downplay concerns. Legal teams were mobilized—not to protect students, but to protect the institution.
The law firm PTK claimed was conducting an “independent” investigation? It was a firm they already had on retainer. That’s not independence. That’s strategy. That’s image control. That’s a system choosing to gaslight survivors and call it professionalism.
When I look back, I realize that Inside Higher Ed didn’t just publish a news article. They published the moment I stopped waiting for permission to tell the truth.
I Didn’t Want War. I Wanted Justice.
We didn’t come forward to destroy PTK. We loved what it stood for—or what it claimed to stand for. We believed in scholarship, leadership, service, and fellowship. But an organization cannot claim those values while silencing the very people who embody them.
For over a year, we did everything we could to handle it with grace. We were quiet. We were patient. We were professional. We believed in the mission. But when that didn’t work, when our voices were ignored and our reputations quietly dismantled, the article became the only path left. And once it was published, I realized something: I would never be silent again.
If You’re Looking for the Truth About Phi Theta Kappa, Start Here
This blog is not hearsay. It’s lived experience. And it’s backed by public record.
Phi Theta Kappa paid $4 million to a man accused of sexual harassment by multiple students. They called our stories false without investigating. They tried to erase us. And they expected us to disappear.
But we are still here. And we are not going away.
If You’ve Been Silenced—By PTK or Any Institution—You Are Not Alone
This story may have started with Inside Higher Ed, but it didn’t end there. I’ve spent the last decade building a movement where survivors and whistleblowers can speak, be heard, and take their power back.
If you are a PTK member, advisor, or survivor and have a story to tell, we are listening.
Visit www.andthenshespokeup.com/connect to get support or share your experience.
Because this isn’t just my fight anymore. It’s all of ours.