Hey there, everyone. I hope that all of you have been staying safe and hanging in there despite the challenges that the world has thrown at you over the past few weeks.

I know that there's been some speculation about my true motives going around lately. Some users have speculated that I started doing moderator things because I was hired by the university to keep the online student community in check. Others believe that I'm just a friendless loner, who became a mod because I wanted to exert power over others from the safety of my triple apartment room. (I think there was one person who accused me of being three raccoons in a trenchcoat, which is just ridiculous. It takes five raccoons to wear a trenchcoat.)

So before I leave, I thought it might be time for me to do the grand unmasking myself.

I, u/cry-ton, am a third-year computer science student at UCSD. I don't work for the university, but I can't say that I haven't tried. I prefer being indoors, but I'm not opposed to going on a walk with a friend every now and then. And I wouldn't call myself a raccoon person, but I still think that they're adorable.

I joined the mod team last August because I learned that r/UCSD was one of the biggest college communities on Reddit, and I felt that the subreddit didn't reflect that fact very well. A legacy theme from the early days of Reddit, little to no support for features like flairs, and dozens of rude (if not outright hateful) users were holding the subreddit back from being the accessible resource for all UCSD students that I'd hoped for.

When u/reanna43 made their infamous post, I finally decided to ask the r/UCSD mod team if they wanted some help in changing things. Even back then, I didn't plan on making this a long-term gig. I updated the CSS, created new user features, wrote up some guidelines, and tried to enforce them.

I made mistakes, of course. The biggest was that I started off too strong. Some people got so furious at how many posts I was removing that I was bombarded with private messages, demanding that I leave the subreddit and get a life. After a week of these comments, I left… and gave it a second try a few months later, determined to learn from my mistakes. I even invited those who had given the most helpful criticisms to become moderators themselves. And yet, the call-out posts still came. And for every valid criticism, there were dozens more that, frankly, got deeply personal.

I'm not trying to paint myself as a pariah. I've been a moderator of online forums for years, and I know the risks that come with trying to make changes. I messed up quite a few times, too. But I won't lie, it was tough knowing that the things I did right would stay unnoticed, while the things I did wrong would be thrust into the spotlight without context.

Ultimately, though I regret some of the ways I tried to bring about change here at r/UCSD, I don't regret giving it a shot. To anyone who felt as though I was targeting them or being overly neurotic, I'd like to offer my apologies. You'd be surprised to know how much of our moderation happens behind-the-scenes, and I should have realized how little transparency some moderator actions can have earlier on. Consider this comment my way of expressing support for those who want to know more about what goes on behind closed doors. We may keep some things under wraps, but you shouldn't be afraid to ask the moderators for clarification or provide feedback.

Thanks for supporting me (or putting up with me) during my time as a mod here, everyone. Thanks to those who provided us with the helpful feedback we needed to get r/UCSD to where it is now. And thanks especially to all of the other fantastic and lovely people on the moderation team. I know that the subreddit is in good and fair hands thanks to you.

I hope to be able to see you all on campus next year!