Editorial 2: A regrettable policy of silence

Penn was wrong to remain silent about hosting high school hoops championships at the Palestra. Penn's hesitation stems partly from a fatal shooting outside the Palestra last year -- and gunshots fired the year before -- after the Public League championship game. It is not the decision itself that concerns us. Penn has a right and an obligation to act in the best interest of its students. Hosting a game that has brought violence to campus for the last two years would have been irresponsible. But Penn is obligated to be honest, forthright and accountable for its decisions. And on these measures, the University fell far short. Administrators were dishonest in not announcing their de facto decision, far from forthright in answering inquiries from the three leagues and have shirked accountability with their non-decision and loud claims that Penn might still have agreed to host the games. Presumably, this utopian scenario involved the games moving elsewhere without Penn being forced to make a decision. And that is wrong. For the better part of the high school season, Penn has cruelly kept a flame of hope alive in the hearts of many a Philadelphia hoopster -- the possibility that they would have the opportunity to play in the storied Palestra. Even now, with alternate venues reserved for all three games, Penn continues to refuse responsibility, insisting that maybe, just maybe, the University would have allowed the leagues to use the Palestra. Penn's responsibility to the surrounding community has always been a complex issue. But one thing is very simple -- Penn was wrong to remain silent. The University would do well to find its voice, and offer a belated apology to the players, coaches and fans of Philadelphia high school basketball.