Prologue

I would love nothing more than to leave my past experiences in academia behind me. The problem is that my past experiences are other peoples’ painful present. With the echoes of these experiences still residing in my body, I cannot ignore any more what stays hidden beneath the surface in the world around me.

People protect themselves from understanding what experiencing intimidation and abuse of power means. Most people affected by it are too afraid to tell their story. Most people not affected by it, do not really want to know. Which is why people who abuse their power can feel safe and those who experience it have no chance to restore a normal sense of safety.

As a result, the people who experience abuse of power tend not to file a complaint. Which is why my faculty can reference its clean record, the low number of official complaints, as a proof that there is no problem with abuse of power.

A low number of complaints can be a bad sign.

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