Update

Tonight, I got an e-mail from the male student I mentioned earlier; he'd read the blog and was, naturally, upset about it, as what he describes as having occurred is completely different in every regard from what the young woman described. As he tells it, this isn't simply a matter of her reading more into his behavior than was there: as he tells it, she is essentially inventing the entire thing. He was there, at the restaurant, but not looking for her, and only talking about class when he did talk to her--and, he says, she drew attention to her shirt and the restaurant logo.

It seems my only option is to give both of them the benefit of the doubt, as much as that's possible. It's like Roshomon: what the "truth" is depends on whose version of the story we listen to. The main thing is for me to find a way to keep both students in my class--and to have them both feeling comfortable. Anything that compromises the educational environment is a problem; if it isn't doing that, it's none of my business. I cannot be in the business of trying to determine whose story is more "true," whom to believe, or believe more fully.

I've not encountered anything like this before, so clearly I need to think very carefully about how to proceed. And I won't say more about it in the blog. The issue is too sensitive, and the potential for misunderstanding and upset too great.