LETTER: In Good Faith

Last semester, The Daily Pennsylvanian ran a story with the headline "Co-ed rooms violate lease agreements" (DP 11/22/92). The article referred to four students, Seth Goren, Nancy Levy, Elizabeth Gerst and David Davidson and reported that they had violated Residential Living regulations which prohibit unmarried people from living together in dormitories. The article quoted Residential Living administrators who stated that they were unaware of the students' coeducational living arrangement, that it violated the department's policies and that the situation would be investigated. After the article appeared, I asked the director of Academic Programs in Residence, Dr. Christopher Dennis, to look into this matter. After talking with a number of the students, and with staff members in Van Pelt College House, he concluded that the students entered into the arrangement in good faith, believing that it was a University-sanctioned pilot program. When it became clear that the University did not support this arrangement, the students agreed to alternative living accomodations. Unfortunately, the DP's article concerning this situation may have erroneously implied that the four students knowingly violated Residential Living rules or misrepresented their situation. That is not the case. The four students acted in good faith in their dealings with Van Pelt College House and Residential Living staff. Due to unfortunate miscommunications, these students found themselves in a situation which was difficult, unexpected and not of their own making. Despite the distress caused by the situation and the surrounding publicity, these students and several others who also agreed to alternative accommodations have handled themselves with dignity and grace. Moreover, the article also quoted a Van Pelt graduate staff member's comment that the students were "lying" about their situation. The staff member has apologized to the students for this unfair characterization and we want to assure the community that the remark intended no attack on the students' forthrightness or their veracity. We hope that this letter will set the record straight and end what has been for these students, through no fault of their own, a difficult and painful episode. On behalf of the departments of Residential Living and Academic Programs in Residence, I want to apologize publicly to them and to express our deep appreciation for their cooperation and for their assistance in helping us to resolve a difficult problem. KIM MORRISSON Vice Provost