Tiffany Reese

So I'm so glad you highlighted that because I feel like the impact, even from this one physical interaction that you had, look at the impact it had on you.

And thank God he didn't have continued access to you.

But based off of the other survivors' experiences, we could imagine had he...

continued to have contact to you, how it would have continued to escalate, which is what's scary because we know he continued teaching for the next 28 years.

It just makes me really sad when you hear about perpetrators who have been able to get access and continue this behavior for such a long time.

Well, I cannot thank you enough for being willing to reach out to us and speak out.

I know it means a lot to the survivors.

We thank you so, so much.

I am so thankful for your listenership since COVID.

And I'm so thankful that you reached out and that we were able to connect so quickly.

Thank you so much.

At the time of this episode's release, the University of Central Oklahoma's website still lists Cato Buss as an interim assistant dean and professor.

Neither the university nor Buss responded to our request for comment, but the university's public record speaks for itself.

As reported in a 2022 article by UCentral, while Cato Buss was the subject of an ongoing Title IX investigation, UCO recommended him for promotion.

The article states, quote, as seen in the March 2022 Regional University System of Oklahoma meeting agenda, UCO recommended Cato Buss to be promoted to a full-time professor position at the university.

This decision comes after many conversations about UCO's $20 million budget deficit and the potential for faculty layoffs, end quote.

Despite multiple women coming forward over the course of several years, the university moved forward with promotion.

For the survivors who spoke in chapter two, that decision reinforces what they have already experienced, not just grooming, not just retaliation, but institutional betrayal.

And as research continues to show, their experience is sadly not uncommon.

Thank you to Miranda, Olivia, Morgan, Rihanna, and Amy for sharing their experiences with us.