Like the entire SMU community, The Daily Campus was saddened to learn of Hunter Green’s death this weekend. We offer our most sincere condolences to his family and friends as they deal with this tragedy.

For the sake of all involved, we urge the SMU community to refrain from jumping to conclusions or spreading unsubstantiated rumors about the cause of death. The initial autopsy was inconclusive and further tests will take weeks. As of right now, there is no evidence of foul play; any speculation to the contrary would be inappropriate and hurtful given the information we have now.

As more information comes to light in the coming weeks and months, the university has a responsibility to both Green’s family and to the student body. It should conduct a careful investigation into the details of Green’s death and share the results with his family. It should also determine if anything could have been done to prevent the incident, not to point fingers, but to make any changes necessary to ensure the health and safety of current and future SMU students.

We hope the administration has learned from the mistakes it made four years ago when three students died as a result of drugs and alcohol. While the university eventually appointed a substance abuse task force, it acted too slowly in addressing the “drug culture” many considered prevalent on campus. The administration wavered when it was clear that steps could have been taken to prevent further tragedies. We are confident that the university will handle Green’s death in a much more effective and respectful manner.

This weekend’s tragedy affected the entire SMU community. Dealing with the loss of a friend and classmate is always difficult, and students upset by the event should take advantage of the many resources available to help handle grief.

The thoughts and prayers of The Daily Campus’s staff go out to Hunter Green and his friends. He will be missed.