by UPUA President Anand Ganjam

Several days ago, the Penn State community was shocked to learn about the existence of a fraternity Facebook page that was reportedly used to post obscene photographs of unsuspecting women and to coordinate the sale of illegal drugs. These heinous actions perpetrated by members of the page, which allegedly included both current brothers and alumni of the zeta chapter of Kappa Delta Rho (KDR), are reprehensible and should be condemned.

The mere existence of these photos, let alone the posting of them in a public forum without the individuals expressed consent, is a grievous violation of personal privacy. As members of the Penn State community, we should stand against this blatant disregard for basic human decency.

We know the actions of these individuals do not reflect or represent Penn State as a whole, but it is important to fight for personal privacy and basic human decency for every member of our community. We are better, and we should all demand more of ourselves as Penn Staters. I commend those who had the courage to come forward and do the right thing, and I hope that anyone who witnesses similar instances of wrongdoing comes forward in a similar fashion.

I have the utmost confidence in the University leadership, Interfraternity Council, and law enforcement to take appropriate action against those responsible through existing systems, codes, and policies.

Finally, I urge anyone who feels they may have been victimized to reach out to the Penn State Office of Student Conduct at 814-863-0342 or the State College Police Department at 814-234-7150.