The Mankato Free Press in its report on the Gustavus student charged with sexual assault involved in the Dec. 13th incident identifies the alleged, so some may be wondering why it is that The Gustavian Weekly did not in “Sexual Assault at Gustavus”?

As a Managing Editor for The Gustavian Weekly and the author of the piece “Sexual Assault at Gustavus,” my commitment first and foremost is to serve news to the Gustavus community, and in doing so abide by a journalistic code of ethics that includes guidelines that can be at times conflicting.

On the one hand I aim to fairly and comprehensively report events and issues. On the other hand I aim to minimize harm, and not be ignorant of how the content of what I report can affect the lives of others.

Keeping this in mind, I felt that printing the name of the alleged in “Sexual Assault at Gustavus” was of no substantial overall benefit to the Gustavus community in the context of what I was writing. “Sexual Assault at Gustavus” is not meant to create a comprehensive report centered around any particular incident, but rather to provide a comprehensive report on campus climate and issues in regard to sexual assault.

The Dec. 13th incident is not a center point, but a spring board to introduce a broader report of sexual assault and sexual misconduct policy at Gustavus.

With the sensitivity surrounding issues regarding sexual assault, I decided it would be best in “Sexual Assault at Gustavus” to abstain from using substantial identifying information of individuals involved in the Dec. 13th incident.

I also chose to abstain from reporting details out of respect for the impact such information may have on victim-survivors. Thus, no names are used in “Sexual Assault at Gustavus,” and identifying information is left at a minimum, including that of the accused from the Dec. 13th incident.