Campus leaders are progressing toward the formation of focus committees in the aftermath of the Feb. 26 incident in Bear’s Den that involved the use of a racial slur.

“Wash U Confessions,” the viral Facebook page which had close to 1,500 likes and highlighted real and mock issues within the Washington University community, was taken offline by its moderator after a racial slur was posted by accident.

Everyone on this campus has heard of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon racial slur incident in Bear’s Den Tuesday night by now. The scandal has dominated student conversations and Student Life headlines for the past week, and everyone on campus seems to have an opinion on what really happened and what should be done.

All Sigma Alpha Epsilon activities have been suspended after a pledge activity turned racially inflammatory. Several black students eating dinner at Bear’s Den Tuesday night were approached by a group of fraternity pledges who took a picture of a pledge brother standing behind the diners as part of a pledge scavenger hunt.

We may not all be able to understand the hurt that may have been inflicted on the black students physically present when a Sigma Alpha Epsilon pledge read a rap song lyric containing the N-word while they were sitting in Bear’s Den Tuesday night. But that does not mean that many of us do not or should not feel personally affected or pained by the pledges’ actions.