UTSA handled incidents well

Allegations of endemic racism and sexual assault on a university campus are serious matters that merit prompt attention at the highest levels. University of Texas at San Antonio President Taylor Eighmy’s leadership and transparency in dealing with these two serious matters in the last month at San Antonio’s largest public university is refreshing. We applaud the university for not shielding behind the often-used excuse that the matters are under investigation and as such university officials will make no public comment.

We get the need for not wanting to openly address hot-button issues. These type of allegations carry serious implications for any institution of higher education. They have the potential of becoming political nightmares that can adversely affect student enrollment, retention, faculty recruitment and even financial contributions to the school. However, keeping the public in the dark often only compounds the public distrust in most cases.

Eighmy took the proper course of action in quickly calling for a Title 1X investigation into a sexual assault claim made on social media and on fliers at an off-campus student housing location. He was also on the right track by being very open about the handling of incidents involving white professors who have called campus police on students of color.

Both incidents merited serious investigation to determine the scope of the problems, if any. Over the last decade college campuses across the country have endured devastating scandals that have destroyed athletic programs and caused major damage to their reputations.

Some of the pain might have been averted if early warning signs had not been ignored.