Fifteen Colby students have left the school, either in suspension or permanent withdrawal, as a result of the sexual misconduct that occurred there this fall.
According to student newspaper The Colby Echo, the students are being cited for violating the College's policy on "sexual misconduct, lying to school officials and hindering an internal investigation."
Colby conducted the inspection—which began on November 5—internally, after the Waterville police determined that no crime had been committed. No students involved were criminally charged.
In an email received by the Echo from Colby President William Adams, he said, "15 students were charged with a range of infractions against Colby policy, which included: sexual misconduct; sexual harassment; lying to College officials; conspiring to obstruct an investigation; and behavior that one knew or should have known would cause emotional harm. Thirteen of the cases have been resolved; two are still in process."
A Colby student who wished to remain anonymous said to the Orient, "When it first happened, it was a pretty big deal on campus because it definitely sparked a lot of conversation about sexual misconduct and assault and I think many people weren't really aware of how prevalent it is at Colby because they assume that the school is a safe bubble."
The accusations and ensuing investigation stems from a female student who claimed that while engaging in consensual oral sex with a member of the football team, the recipient's teammates watched without her consent.
Colby's administration is doing all it can to make sure that the names of those involved remain private and has never publicly acknowledged that members of the football team were the ones involved.
According to the Echo, two students have permanently and voluntarily left Colby as a result of the incident and the remaining students are currently serving one to multi-semester suspensions.
The height of this controversy unfolded during the week of the Bowdoin-Colby football game.
Traditionally, Colby's student affairs organization charters fan buses for this game. In light of the alleged incident, it chose to withdraw its funding. While the football team raised its own money to get transportation for students, three key players on the Colby squad did not play in the game. Bowdoin won the November 12 match 20-10.
According to an Echo article from December 7, Colby football coach Ed Mestieri resigned after 23 years on December 2.