John Silber Case

John Silber, the President of Boston University, submitted an article to the New York Times; opening the eyes of many people to an ongoing problem which was not receiving the proper attention. In this article titled, “Students Should Not be above the Law” Mr. Silber jumps into a subject that has yet been touched. Dr. Silber talks about the problem with colleges and universities avoiding the courts and suppress serious criminal cases in their own judicial systems.
Silber compares this system to medieval Europe, where the church's court was from the defendant’s point of view. In this situation, the college is actually in favor of the criminal, making any consequence received significantly less than anything given in legal court. Silber points out, campus courts are not allowed to give a fine or imprison anyone, thus making the “harshest” punishment expulsion. Also, administration encourages students to not take any criminal behavior to the police, but go through campus police first; this including rape, arson, and assault. For crimes such as those listed, expulsion is nothing but a slap on the wrist compared to an actual legal court consequence. As President Silber stated, “When colleges and universities usurp the role of the courts, they deny justice to the victims”. Consequently, not only does the wrong doing go against the legal justice
He held a strong argument with sufficient information about the matter to bring it forth to the public. Students getting away with criminal behavior is an issue that continues in colleges and universities today, it is a serious matter that has to be laid to rest with the proper attention. Dr. Silber introduced the dispute in the best possible manner he could, with