More than two weeks have now passed since a sorority event was broken up by police, and the University has still not taken sufficient steps to examine what happened.
So far, three students have filed formal complaints with authorities -- two with the Penn Police and the other with city cops. Countless others on campus are still talking about this issue.
The Division of Public Safety has launched an internal investigation into the actions of its officers. This is far from enough. An organization accused of wrongdoing should not be investigating itself.
Instead, the gravity of this situation calls for an examination by the highest level of University administration.
There is more to this than Penn Police. An investigation is needed to look into the actions of the Philadelphia Police, World Cafe Live and the students who were involved.
In order to prevent such incidents in the future, it is necessary to understand the breakdowns in the system that caused hundreds of students to be forced from a Penn-approved event at a venue that receives Penn funding.
It is irresponsible for the University to go this long without acting. Penn probably wants this issue to fall under the radar because it may harm its image, but putting public relations before safety and common sense is deplorable.
It's time to take action.
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