When an ugly incident is distorted to make it even worse, it is hard for a university to turn the situation into a learning experience.

But that is the challenge facing the University of Vermont today. Racial insensitivity at the Acacia fraternity has been compounded by premature official reports on the incident. A demonstration planned for today could fan the flames further.

If anyone is going to learn anything, it will take a moment of calm. Creating that atmosphere is the first responsibility of campus leaders-students, faculty and staff.

Initially the incident sounded sickening. Vice President for Student Affairs Dean Batt announced Acacia was being suspended pending investigation of a racist hazing incident. A minority student was photographed while Acacia pledges held a golf club over his head as if threatening him.

The fraternity paints a different picture. The minority student was a friend of the pledges, and posed for the photo willingly. If this is true, Batt gave a distorted representation. That might be because he never spoke with anyone from the fraternity before deciding to suspend it and hold a news conference.

There is much to be learned here. Already Acacia has learned something. Initial denials of wrongdoing have turned into admissions of guilt, apologies to school off1cials and to the minority student (see today's Readers´ Forum). The lesson: When you make a mistake, take responsibility for it.

UVM officials could learn something, too. The university has a detailed, six-page guideline for handling these matters. Nowhere does it mention alerting the media before hearing both sides of a complaint.

As a result Acacia´s wrongdoing, while substantial, has been exaggerated. It will take a school judicial process, and campus-wide faith in the fairness of that closed-door process, to repair that haste. The lesson: It is hard to take back damaging allegations.

As for the broader university community, this incident reinforces the concern-front page news in a recent issue of the campus newspaper-that racism is all too common at UVM. Given that the Acacia stupidity occurred entirely because it is a fraternity (what private house of students conducts a photo hunt initiation?), the institution of Acacia should be treated as an example of what UVM finds unacceptable in its Greek system.

In a larger sense, it is the job of campus leaders to turn this event into a forum for wide discussion, in classes, in dorms and dining halls, in campus publications and more. The discovery this minority student made-that he had been exploited, and that it was not acceptable-must expand to a campus-wide climate of respect.

The demonstration today is expected to culminate in a march to Acacia. Marchers might ask themselves three questions first: What do you yell at a building inhabited by people who have come to agree with you? Is blaming one apologetic group going to address the widespread problem? And is a demonstration the right way to foster dialogue?

Learning does not occur when someone is shouting; it occurs when everyone is listening.

"Forbear to judge, for we are sinners all." wrote William Shakespeare in 1591.

And so should the University of Vermont remember today, as four students go on trial for their role in an alleged race-related incident last month.

The UVM community is right to reject racism on campus, the community is wrong, however, to condemn students on allegations and inaccuracies.

Make no mistake. The deeds to which the students have admitted guilt were ignorant and ugly. But they were not the same deeds as UVM officials alleged.

Indeed, Vice President for Student Affairs Dean Batt distorted those deeds when he made them public without hearing the fraternity´s side of the story. And though the students apologized before they were charged with anything, Batt chose not to share that news with the UVM community.

Not surprisingly, the students held an anti-racism rally. They are to be commended for their concern. Their energy properly directed, could help to reduce the suspicions of racism that afflict UVM.

Batt is not helping in that effort. Though he is responsible for providing a fair judicial process, he attended the demonstration, making a speech outside the fraternity. He welcomed students, thanked them for coming, and called the rally "the first step."

Anyone who thinks those four students will receive fair treatment also believes in the Easter Bunny.

If this incident was indeed racism, UVM needs to ask itself how to prevent a repeat. If it was not racism but stupidity, as the evidence increasingly indicates, the UVM community needs to ask why it jumped to the conclusion it did.

UVM President Judith Ramaley understands this distinction. "Feelings of righteousness are our Achilles heel, our greatest weakness in this process, and we must guard against it."

Batt is hardly alone in his prejudgment; much of the community has joined right in.

UVM has two responsibilities now: First, to begin treating all of the students involved in this incident fairly. Second, to probe why the campus climate has evolved to what it is today.

Ramaley has good ideas ahout that second task, through a sequel to this fall´s Building Our Community day. As for accomplishing the first task, she could start by instructing Batt to stop talking.

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