Opening up the dialogue

For the past three weeks, the debate over Gregory Seaton and his allegations of racism at Campus Copy Center has captivated this University and thrust a number of important issues into the campus dialogue. Seaton's claim -- that he was the victim of a racially-motivated attack while patronizing the Walnut Street store -- angered some students, confused others and forced some to re-evaluate Penn's campus culture and the way some feel about the treatment they receive within it. Yesterday, the first phase of Seaton's story effectively came to an end, when the University Police Department announced that its investigation had concluded. The particulars of the incident, police say, implicate no specific party as directly responsible for the violent incident three weeks ago. And as such, no criminal action will be brought against Seaton or Ron Shapiro, the Campus Copy manager alleged by Seaton as the perpetrator of the brunt of the racist treatment. But that decision, while final, should not bring to a close the discussion of issues which Seaton's case once again awoke on this sometimes sleepy campus. While it now appears that Seaton's feelings stemmed more from a misunderstanding than from actual racism, the frustrations which his claims elicited among many members of the community -- in regards to both customer safety and racial equality -- are issues which are important and must be constantly monitored by a concerned community. So far, it appears that Penn has begun such a mobilization to ensure that those hostilities are never again realized. Those efforts -- to reinforce the ideals of acceptance among all students, staff, faculty and neighbors -- are ones which are best utilized on an individual level. It is encouraging to see the University initiate steps -- like expanding the scope of Programs for Awareness in Cultural Education -- that reach out to people on just such a level.