college scandal

Well, my alma mater (University of Mary Washington) is in the news once again. This past spring, about a month before my graduation, our president of 9 months, Dr. Frawley, was arrested for two DUIs. Details of the event were kept a secret, and the entire campus was left in the dark. A week later, the tragic events at Virginia Tech unfolded, and everything else became unimportant. At the beginning of May, we received an email that he had been terminated. No other information was provided. There was no mention of him at my graduation; in fact, my diploma was signed by the acting president. It was as though he never existed.

Last week in the Washington Post, Dr. Frawley decided to come public with his side of the story. It was interesting to hear what really happened, though my reaction to the letter as a whole is divided. On the one hand, it is encouraging to have this man honestly share his struggles with depression, overworking, and alcohol. And I truly have a lot of sympathy for this man and wish the best for him as he still works to become healthier and break out of his destructive cycles. I really liked him as a person and as a president; his presence on campus and outgoing nature was a very big change from our previous president, who rarely mingled with students. He cared about the students and about the institution. Now, it will be extremely difficult for Dr. Frawley to find a job that even compares to his previous one; in essence, his career has been destroyed.

But at the same time, parts of the letter rubbed me the wrong way. Perhaps it was the parallel he drew between himself and Lindsay Lohan. (What?!?!) Or maybe it was his demand for privacy that went hand in hand with his declaration to write a book about the ordeal. And I don't know how the administration treated him (I'm sure there was some unfairness), but the position of college president is one that requires integrity and personal responsibility. I'm all about extending grace to someone, but in his position it was best for him to leave the school. Perhaps those circumstances were poorly handled; I don't know. The events of this spring have helped to instill some skepticism in me when it comes to administrations and institutions. But is a book appropriate in this situation? I don't know. But I do wish that once, just once, Mary Washington would be recognized for the excellent undergraduate education that it's top-class faculty offers, not the scandals that are within the administration.