BRANDON KOHLMAN

The 13 men at Dalhousie University who are being criticized for their online comments may deserve some degree of punishment, but it’s important to keep a level head when determining what a fitting punishment is, especially considering the fact that no one was physically harmed.

The fourth-year dentistry students involved are being labelled as misogynists for their Facebook group titled “DDS 2015 Gentlemen.” These students have received much criticism for their actions, as has the university itself for failing to provide swift and blind justice. The hashtag #Dalhateswomen on Twitter has had numerous posts in the past two months and several are even calling for the expulsion of these students.

The difficult question is whether these students should be expelled. While the comments made are extremely offensive, no actual threats were made to any women in fourth year dentistry. Additionally, the men in the group didn’t take any real action against the women that were discussed. The punishment in this case would not fit their misconduct.

I think it’s time we took a step back and actually looked at what is being proposed. The 13 students that were part of the DDS 2015 Gentlemen group have been working on their education for years, most having completed around six to eight years once their undergraduate studies and three years of dentistry school have been taken into account.

Are these inappropriate comments to be deemed so outrageous that these men must be forced to give up all the years they have put towards their education? I can say for certain that I would not want anyone to lose all of their work on the basis that they made inappropriate and lewd comments about me, if that were the case. They should be punished, but not in such an excessive manner.

These students did not break any laws as the Halifax Regional Police are not pursuing any criminal charges against the students in question. The women that were discussed in the Facebook group are also not pursuing any civil action, nor are they urging police to press charges against any of the men. In this instance, the women’s response seems to be that it is not worthwhile to ruin these men’s lives over what is being portrayed as an act of misogyny.

However, once this incident rests in the past, Dalhousie University must seriously reconsider its sexual assault policy and re-evaluate the options available to victims. As it stands, there are only two courses of action: one leads to a formal investigation by the local authorities, while the other leaves the decision in the hands of the university president, which would force the university to make some difficult decisions.

In a situation such as this, the best course of action is for the men involved to publicly apologize to the women and the community, attempt to make amends for their wrongdoings and perhaps restore their public image to assure that they can be trusted to act responsibly in their dentistry careers. While these men should be held responsible for their actions, expulsion from their program and the subsequent destruction of their future as dentists would be too harsh.

While everyone should always be held accountable for their actions, the punishment should equally fit the offence. In the case of the Dalhousie dentistry students, expulsion is not the answer.