Editorial: Scandals, conspiracies and rumors, oh my!

Two months ago, Professor John Hall disrupted his economics class to accuse student Zaki Bucharest, who is also the ASPSU chief of staff, of being an FBI informant. Despite several media outlets covering the incident and its fallout, the story remains murky.

Portland State administrators have remained relatively quiet amid the coverage, saying that there is an ongoing investigation of the incident and those involved. Their refusal to share details has allowed rumors, speculations and conspiracy theories to dominate the story.

Certainly, the university has to tread carefully around the minefield this situation created. However, stall tactics have run their course and it is time for administrators to issue a public statement, hold a press conference or offer more in-depth responses to inquiry.

Hall publicly accused Bucharest of having access to a personal arsenal, and this stirred up concern among students for their safety. This sort of accusation is well outside of university norms, and without protocol to rely on, it’s understandable that some time would pass before any official stance is taken.

This is a very divisive issue, with some students rallying in support of Hall and others defending Bucharest. There is obvious unrest among students who were present during the incident and those who heard of it after the fact.

By now, students need to know what is being done to ease the tension—especially if their education is being impeded by gossip, fear and uncertainty.

Financial questions are also in play. Full tuition refunds were offered to students in Hall’s classes, though he is still being paid despite suspension and being banned from campus.

Students deserve a formal explanation of how their school handles its money and why administrators make certain decisions, especially in response to a crisis situation.

The threshold of reasonable patience has been reached. It is increasingly irrational to expect calm from the student body as every possible bureaucratic step is taken. An incident of this magnitude begs a thorough investigation, but it also requires a swift and reassuring response, not red-tape-induced silence.

Let’s hope that, upon returning from spring break, the silence is broken and that students are finally informed of how the university is handling this fiasco.