The position Silver finds himself in is not an enviable one. By all accounts, he has proven himself to be an extremely involved member of the Wesleyan community.
In fact, he was even selected to be a Senior Interviewer, the face of Wesleyan to dozens of potential students.
None of this changes the fact that Silver was found in violation of the Student Honor Code to which all students must agree as a condition of attending this University. This is not something to gloss over; any breach, when it occurs, must be taken with the utmost seriousness to maintain the high academic standards to which we all must adhere.
We do not have the right nor the inclination to tell Silver how to live his life. However, because this has become a public issue, we cannot help but wonder why Silver apparently failed to consider the possibility that his Honor Board hearing and subsequent appeal would not conclude to his liking.
Although the University did not formally inform Silver of its decision until Sept. 6, Silver had been made aware of the possible outcome months ago and could have made alternate educational plans. The option also existed, as outlined in Section IV of the Student Handbook, to request an Honor Board hearing even after the Honor Board members had left campus for the summer.
We are very understanding of the personal troubles that Silver has cited as a reason for his substandard academic performance last spring. Pressure at home and subsequent financial considerations caused Silver great distress, undermining his ability to excel academically at Wesleyan and complicating this issue exponentially.
We’re proud to be a part of a community that supports its own. It’s inspiring that Silver’s friends and sympathizers have rallied to his support, leading to multiple demonstrations outside of North College. Their argument has merit: a mandated two-semester leave may be too inconsiderate of particular factors. In consideration of Silver, and others who may encounter similar situations in the future, we encourage the administration to review its policies regarding this matter. After all, the University is supposed to be here for its students, but it must work to ensure that its students stay here.
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