Most of us are familiar with the central point of our judicial system here in the United States of America and in most democratic countries worldwide: you're innocent until proven guilty.
Yet there are those who need to be made aware of this policy, the ones who are not named and sit behind closed doors, labeled only as "university officials."
On Friday, these officials suspended two students for their alleged involvement in the activities last weekend. Check out the synonyms for alleged - claimed and contended are just two of the presumptuous words that come up.
How would you react if one of the mysterious and lawless officials came up to you and proclaimed you are suspended from the university you're forking over an arm and a leg to attend because some higher power has claimed you did something wrong, even before you went to a real trial with real judicial officials?
What if they suspended you from attending your classes with only weeks to go in the semester because they contend you did a no-no? Do you think you might be upset?
Well you should be. You have the right to be, because university officials have no right to suspend students on allegations and claims before they are proven guilty.
Officials really jumped the gun this time, making an unfair, unjust and blatantly un-American decision. And we've got another "un-" for them: unintelligent.
We're not saying the suspended students are saints, but the university can't go making such decisive judicial decisions like they did; MSU should not convict students before the courts do. There are professionals in the judicial system who are elected into their positions and are expected to make those decisions, not university officials.
Suspicion is no excuse to suspend anyone from anything - that is one of many building blocks our judicial system was founded on. Here's another one: We all have the right to a trial with a jury of our peers, which doesn't mean university officials.
These students should fight for their rights and stand up to this disgusting injustice. Now they might find a lack of support in their case before it even commences. The university officials' decision could easily affect the trial, because, though it is not a proper judicial action, one major system has already decided against the innocence of these students.
Making an example of these two students by suspending them so early in the judicial procedure is completely unfair and unwarranted. Can you imagine living in a place where you are guilty until proven innocent? That's a scary thought and is just a glimpse into what could become a nightmare of unjust actions by university officials.
MSU should evaluate major decisions such as this one, which completely violate due process and the Constitution, further before acting. Hopefully this unfortunate situation can be quickly and, more importantly, justly resolved.
