F or the second time in a month, the University is neglecting its obligation to conduct a necessary investigation. Yesterday, University President Amy Gutmann declared there was no need to examine the actions of the Office of Student Conduct, the school's disciplinary arm, after it charged a student with sexual harassment for posting photographs online of a couple appearing to engage in sexual activity next to a high rise window.
A few weeks ago, the University also decided not to conduct an investigation of the Penn Police's handling of a crowd outside World Cafe Live that ended with two students in jail.
Penn may be under the impression that simply shoving these issues under the rug will avoid further bad press for the University.
This belief is misguided.
By attacking the root of the problems through an investigation, the University will be acting in the long-term interest of its students and avoid incidents before they occur.
The University has convened effective ad hoc committees to deal with similar problems before, but it should not take a student protest to warrant action by the administration -- as happened last year with a mistaken arrest.
By acting in the interest of everyone who has a stake in the University, not just administrators, Penn could avoid future embarrassment.
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