Staff Editorial: The whole community

The loss of Wharton undergraduate Electra Bynoe is devastating to the Penn community.

It is, of course, a terrible loss for the Wharton community. But it is also a terrible loss to the University community as a whole.

The University of Pennsylvania is not composed of 12 wholly separate communities -- this is one University with one greater University community. Wharton students do not associate only with other Wharton students. Friendships at Penn ignore the artificial borders imposed by the four undergraduate schools.

Dealing with the death of a student requires a great deal of sensitivity and care on the part of the University, particularly in the disemination of information.

But it is almost certain that Electra Bynoe had friends outside of the Wharton community -- friends who may not have learned of her death until much later, friends who did not have the opportunity to attend the informal meeting yesterday in Steinberg-Dietrich Hall because they did not receive any notice, friends who did not have the information they needed to utilize the University's grief counseling resources.

And it is entirely likely that these friends did not know about these services because they are not Wharton students, and as such, did not receive the e-mail, sent only to Wharton students, notifying community members of what was available.

And that is truly unfortunate. The exclusivity of information practiced in this situation keeps it from those who need it most -- the people most directly touched by this tragedy.

It is important for those affected by Electra's death to get the help they need in working through the loss of a classmate and friend. That help is available -- through Counseling and Psychological Services and the Reach-a-Peer Helpline, among others.We urge any student in need of these services to make use of them. And we urge the University to make this and other vital information available in future times of need, through a University-wide e-mail or some other means.

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