February 24, 2009

Mishandling difficult news

Those who read our post on the Crossett Hall stabbing will recall that the administration has made no official public statement regarding the incident. The Amherst College eNews bulletins sent to alumni are also silent. We learned that students received an e-mail within hours of the attack, but we cannot find another statement. The administration’s silence on the most serious on-campus assault in recent memory is inappropriate.

Dee Mandiyan ‘10 echoes this sentiment in a letter to the editor of the Amherst Student. She argues that the e-mail sent to students was so “exceptionally vague” that it fostered misinformation and gossip. This paragraph captures her central points:

It took four days for some semblance of fact to come out through the Student. Four days of gossip running rampant because “the victim” said this and the “assailant” did this and the knife was in his sleeve or maybe in his hat or, maybe even worse, complete silence on the subject, as if “the victim” wasn’t one of us or of any consequence. Maybe even worst of all, by the Monday after “the incident,” professors were already joking about it, grouping it with that Registrar security breach as an example of “Amherst Gone Wild.”

I cannot disagree with her; the victim has been marginalized. That one or more Amherst professors supposedly used the incident as fodder for classroom humor is an outrage and a disgrace. If these comments were made, President Marx should issue a swift public reprimand.

That aside, why the administration did not issue some basic statement, if only to allay concern and curtail counterproductive rumors, is mystifying. I anticipate that the response to that question would mirror Campus Police Chief John Carter’s comment to the Student “It would be inappropriate to comment on anything that might impact the investigation.”

That reasoning would be unpersuasive. The administration could have issued a statement by Sunday afternoon that said the following four things : 1) that a student had been injured in an apparent stabbing on campus; 2) that a suspect, who was not an Amherst student, was in custody; 3) that the student was in stable condition; and 4) the investigation was now in the hands of Massachusetts state authorities and further inquiries should be directed to those agencies. Also, that statement might have properly noted that the party was registered with Campus Police and that the prompt actions of on-duty student security officers likely prevented a far worse outcome. This simple, neutral statement, which contains undisputed facts, could have no adverse effect on an investigation, yet it properly informs the public.

Instead, the administration has chosen silence. This does a disservice to the College for it leaves the impression that the administration is ignoring a very serious matter to avoid bad press. I’ve had few criticisms of this administration, but it has mishandled this situation.

Everyone associated with Amherst is understandably dismayed by this attack. However, the administration must resist the natural inclination to ignore difficult news with the hope that it fades away unnoticed. The proper response is to be forthright and act in affirmatively so as to properly inform the public and to exert control over speculation that may, in the end, be even more damaging to public perception. The administration should issue an immediate statement to update the College community and the public.

As always, we welcome your comments below.

Dave Nardolillo '98 | February 24, 2009 02:54 AM | Administration | Campus | Publications | Student Life

Jeff | February 25, 2009 09:33 AM:

Anne | February 25, 2009 10:32 AM:

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