Staff Editorial: Inform the community

More than two weeks have gone by since the alleged assault on a Princeton University debate student in a Quad lounge.

During that time, the University of Pennsylvania Police Department has come forward and released information about the incident, going as far to provide a timeline of events for the evening.

And a significant portion of Penn's student body has already made up its mind about the incident, calling it "disgusting" and calling for the expulsion of the alleged perpetrators.

Throughout this whole scandal, the one voice that has remained silent is that of the Penn administration. Rather than inform the University community about measures being taken to investigate the matter, administrators have kept quiet.

Meanwhile, the incident has been picked up by the national news media, with camera crews setting up shop on Locust Walk and inflammatory headlines popping up across the country. The negative publicity that the University is currently receiving shows no signs of dying down, and a trial date has yet to be determined.

We understand that the University has a responsibility to respect the privacy of its students, and it is important to remember that no one has been convicted of anything.

However, University administrators have a responsibility to acknowledge incidents that impact the well-being of the greater Penn community. The incident at hand will not go away, and it has already caused enough divisiveness and concern to warrant a response from administrators who put such a strong emphasis on fostering a productive academic and social community.

We are not asking the University to take an official stance on the incident. We are asking its administrators to keep Penn community members abreast of actions being taken to resolve this controversial matter. Let students and faculty know that the investigation into this incident is not being taken lightly.

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