Dear Editor,

Many of you are aware of the alleged sexual assault case that took place in a UW-L Residence Hall on Thursday, September 4th. Students were not made aware of this event until Wednesday, September 10th, after the media had already made the information public. Although many faculty and students expressed concern and anger about the fact that the Dean of Students did not notify the campus community of the incident earlier, they need to be cognizant of the fact that UW-L staff was doing their best to obey specific protocol, the law, and the privacy of those directly involved in the case.

As Paula Knudson stated in her e-mail to campus, when the Student Life Office became aware of the event on Friday afternoon they immediately began to follow their protocol for these types of events. The first priority was assistance, support, and discussing options with the alleged victim. Once the victim decided to report the incident to police, the information went public and an investigation began. Since shortly after police were notified the suspect was arrested and removed from campus, there was no longer a direct threat to campus and therefore no need for an immediate notification to be sent. It was due to investigation proceedings and privacy concerns that there was a delay in the communication to the campus.

The delay between when the event occurred and when the notification went out was not an example of irresponsibility or lack of sensitivity, but one of professionalism and respect for the law and those involved. I commend the Dean of Students and the rest of the Student Life staff for a job well done. We need to recognize the nature of the extreme situations they face on a daily basis, and appreciate the immense amount of carefulness they put in to each and every one of these situations. Handling matters such as the one our campus experienced a few weeks ago with such patience, care, and high concern for those whose lives will be changed forever is an act that deserves admiration, not scrutiny.

Sincerely,

Miranda Kunes