Death is difficult to deal with, even for the press.
It is important to accurately present the facts while being sensitive to the gravity of the situation.
When police reports are as vague as they were Jan. 21, it is hard to provide specifics.
But getting the story to the community as quickly as possible is vital — even if all the facts are not crystal clear.
The sooner the community is aware of the tragedy, the sooner it can start the grieving process, as it somberly did after CAS sophomore Michael Robertson died four days ago.
The university did an outstanding job helping everyone cope with this troubling time. Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore sent an email the following day informing students of available counselors, a support meeting at Marsh Chapel and an invitation to contact him personally.
Unfortunately, the university is so effectively methodical in dealing with death because the BU community has lost nine students in the past two years.
But BU administrators should improve in communicating the circumstances around each death. It has been four days, and the university has not given an official statement candidly explaining what happened early Sunday morning.
By not supplying details, BU is letting its students’ imaginations to run rampant.
We understand that administrators want to preserve Robertson’s memory. But by not saying anything, the university is, in a way, saying too much. Silence harbors an atmosphere for inventing rumors. Whispers distort memories.
And the more students are forced to try to discern what happened, the less they will be able to concentrate on paying respects.
The university owes it to its community to be transparent so we can all gain something from each terrible occurrence. Whether BU administrators can learn about keeping students safe or whether students can learn how to protect themselves, the more we all know, the better off we all can be.
If students know what happened that morning, they should not be afraid to respectfully discount wrongful rumors circulating the campus.
If forced to confront a student’s death, The Daily Free Press will cover what happened without covering up relevant information. The university should do the same.
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