Dear Bearcats,

Apparently, too many of us missed the “stop spreading rumors” lesson in elementary school. The heated debate over the current status of the Student Association began with a screenshot of former President, Dillon Schade's Tinder profile. Please let this letter serve as a means to clarify the endless number of rumors spread across campus, social media and misinformed student groups.

Throughout this situation, I along with all of you, have heard a number of stories related to this situation and to mention them would only feed into the same mentality of spreading rumors. I'm a strong believer that everyone should have the right to an opinion and should be free to speak his or her mind.

While your words shouldn’t be censored, you should refrain from insulting others, particularly when you don't know all the facts. While we all agree, Dillon included, that the words added to his social media page--albeit unbeknownst to him--were highly offensive and represented him in an unprofessional and insensitive light, please ensure your facts are correct before sharing your thoughts with the rest of the world.

The screenshot, which was posted to Facebook, spread like wild fire. The following evening, Dillon publicly apologized, and in his Facebook post explained, “The language used does not describe my demeanor, competency, and is unacceptable for any standard.” Following his statement and apology, several student groups requested his removal as SA President. Dillon then e-mailed the entire student body a letter entitled, “Open Letter to the Campus Community," in which he further expressed his support for racial equality. By the end of the week, the issue had devolved to the point where representatives from various factions at Binghamton University attacked Dillon's character and integrity, leaving him with no other choice but to officially resign.

To highlight Dillon's accomplishments as Student Association President would not do him justice. This past week, he demonstrated great professionalism and leadership in light of recent events. His character is much more than complying a list of how he served the University during this past academic year. He's proven himself to be the leader we voted for last year.

While I'm happy to hear that activism has taken on such a prominent role on our campus, it's important to bring about social change especially when a particular group or individual feels victimized in their own environment or elsewhere, for that matter. Unfortunately, we can’t deny that racism, discrimination, and prejudice exist throughout our campus despite our best efforts to address these issues. Each day we strive to promote equality on Binghamton University’s campus. We don’t accept harassment and don’t condone offensive language.

However, this instance is not a true example of those situations in which a particular individual should be held accountable for social injustices. Dillon’s situation was serious and unacceptable, Dillon knew that and so did all of you. The way in which a select group of students responded to this situation was unfair, childish, and far from the true example and character of a Binghamton University student, to say the least.

Let me be clear, I'm not attempting to attack a specific student organization. These student groups are well-respected and deserve equal treatment and the right to advocate for their cause. However, I would have hoped that these groups contacted our SA President regarding his profile before publicizing their views and false accusations. To my understanding, this was not the case. Not once did any publication say they have spoken directly to Dillon Schade on this matter.

We all seem to ignore the fact that we're all human and we all make mistakes. We seem to highlight our flaws before mentioning our accomplishments. The majority of these groups did not even confront Dillon about the profile they just made accusations. In most cases, these groups used words such as “alleged” or “claimed” which only reaffirms the uncertainty in their accusations. To say they could have approached the situation differently would be an understatement. However, he resigned only to show once again that he puts the students of Binghamton University before himself.

I would like to applaud the majority of the University for their utmost support throughout Dillon Schade’s resignation. There is no doubt in my mind that the Student Association will continue to represent the community to the best of their abilities. To quote our former SA President’s resignation letter, “It is time for the students of Binghamton University to reflect on the values of the community we live in. We live in a time when it is more important than ever that we support each other in our successes and in our challenges.” I couldn’t have said it better myself. I hope we all can look back on this event and let it serve as a reminder that one statement can go a long way.