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Video related to this article is available below.Issue date: 9/7/07 Section: Opinion
Opinion Board | Honesty is the best policy
Penn should be more forthcoming about Dean Stetson's resignation
Opinion Board
The abrupt and unceremonious resignation of long-time Dean of Admissions Lee Stetson has left many in the Penn community scratching their heads.
Admissions officers have said they were told by the University not to speak about Stetson's departure and high-ranking administrators claim they were given no information about the dean's resignation.
In yesterday's DP, one senior administrator who wished to remain anonymous was quoted as wondering whether Stetson had encountered either a very serious illness or a very serious legal issue.
The University is doing a disservice to its administrators, faculty, staff and students by refusing to comment on the issue. Their ham-fisted handling of the matter has only invited rampant speculation and left many feeling slighted.
It is certainly possible that the administration - at least those who haven't been left in the dark - has extremely legitimate reasons for being so tight-lipped. Privacy must be respected in certain cases and reputations could be at stake.
But at the very least, they should be forthcoming about why they can't be forthcoming. If the University is trying to protect certain parties then they should explain that.
We deserve something.
Admissions officers have said they were told by the University not to speak about Stetson's departure and high-ranking administrators claim they were given no information about the dean's resignation.
In yesterday's DP, one senior administrator who wished to remain anonymous was quoted as wondering whether Stetson had encountered either a very serious illness or a very serious legal issue.
The University is doing a disservice to its administrators, faculty, staff and students by refusing to comment on the issue. Their ham-fisted handling of the matter has only invited rampant speculation and left many feeling slighted.
It is certainly possible that the administration - at least those who haven't been left in the dark - has extremely legitimate reasons for being so tight-lipped. Privacy must be respected in certain cases and reputations could be at stake.
But at the very least, they should be forthcoming about why they can't be forthcoming. If the University is trying to protect certain parties then they should explain that.
We deserve something.
Viewing Comments 1 - 9 of 13
new guard
posted 9/07/07 @ 9:54 AM EST
Why doesn't the DP do some good reporting to find out what's going on? This is a challenge to your journalistic ability.
J. Denver
posted 9/07/07 @ 10:48 AM EST
Use your heads - it's not health related. If Stetson were ill, the announcement would have been accompanied by effusive praise, but the actual announcement was terse. (Continued…)
Shannon
posted 9/07/07 @ 11:46 AM EST
I imagine that the many "left scratching their heads" include dp staffers, a few gossips, and absolutely none of the remaining student body. If you insist on prying into this man's life and satisfying your curiosity, at least justify the relevance of your interest - are any possible answers to this mystifying question important for the public to know? After Stetson's many years of service and an intended upcoming resignation anyway, I would venture the answer is no. (Continued…)
Riser
posted 9/07/07 @ 12:38 PM EST
There is a culture of secrecy and arrogance at Penn. They hide behind Ivy League respectability and do their dirty deeds with no fear of public scrutiny. (Continued…)
Bill
posted 9/07/07 @ 12:59 PM EST
I have yet to see anything reported in the DP or elsewhere that indicates there is anything to this other than that this man, who served Penn quite well for many years, has decided to retire. (Continued…)
J. Denver
posted 9/07/07 @ 4:57 PM EST
I was about to write what Penn Alum wrote but he beat me to it.
Bill, did you just fall off the turnip truck? Do you always accept what the authorities choose to tell you at face value? We don't know what's involved here yet but there's clearly more to come - as PA explained, the circumstances clearly telegraph that there is a "problem" and not a routine retirement. (Continued…)
Penn Parent
posted 9/07/07 @ 8:30 PM EST
IF this there is something less than savory prompting Dean Stetson's departure, and that is a big IF, I am happy that the University is being as successful as they are in keeping IT under wraps. (Continued…)
Penn Alum
posted 9/08/07 @ 3:09 AM EST
There is a completely lack of accountability in College Hall.
new guard
posted 9/08/07 @ 9:15 AM EST
Wouldn't the Yale Daily News or the Harvard Crimson have breached the wall of silence by now if a similar event had occurred in New Haven or Cambridge?
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