Editorial | Letting information flow

Last Thursday, when the University received confirmation of the first student case of meningitis, officials had several tough decisions to make, and they knew that they had to be made as quickly as possible.

Penn, as all students know by now, made many of the right decisions. From cancelling weekend events to the orderly dispensation of Ciprofloxacin, the University quickly contained both the spread and the specter of the disease. These triumphs alone - not to mention the fact that all affected students appear to be on the path to recovery - are more than enough reasons to commend Penn and hail the past week as a resounding success.

With time, however, comes room for contemplation and constructive critique. While the University was obviously and understandably protecting the privacy of the sick students, more information about where and with whom the students live their daily lives would have been appreciated. While University and public-health officials spoke to all the potentially affected students, the rest of the students were left unable to evaluate whether they may have had third- or fourth-degree separation from an affected student, or whether they were so removed from the affected circles that they could reasonably decide for themselves that they did not need to take prophylactics.

Knowing which athletic teams or Greek organizations the students are involved with, for instance, could have given other students enough information to assuage fears and judge their exposure levels for themselves. In the end, though, we're thankful to the University for its graceful handling of the situation.

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