On Sept. 2, one of our professors (namely, Seshu D. Desu, former dean of the Watson School of Engineering) was charged with a felony.

Surprised? Maybe not. After all, we are students at Binghamton University. Perhaps the idea of a faculty member’s arrest doesn’t seem too outside of the ordinary.

But of all the Binghamton hoopla of late, this item struck me. I heard exaggerated stories of thousands and thousands of dollars being stolen. I heard rumors (albeit unconfirmed rumors) about handcuffs and police cars picking up said faculty member and taking him to the police station. For the most part, though, I heard the word ‘felony’ in almost every account of what happened.

When I actually looked into this, I was surprised to hear that all of the commotion had been caused by $400 of allegedly forged travel expenses. A plane ticket to India was purchased for $1,595, but the faculty member was compensated for $1,995. Atop the article was a picture of a kind-looking man with a broad smile.

Trust me, my surprise doesn’t mean that I condone whatever led to the discrepancy, but I still think the events unfolded were largely unwarranted. Was it necessary to destroy the reputation and career of a man that has contributed so appreciably to our University? According to the Sept. 14 issue of Pipe Dream’s ‘Investigation leads to felony charge against BU professor,’ Desu helped to bring in $4.5 million of congressional funding in his new position as head of BU’s solar power research department.

When I ask students what their opinion is on the matter, they tend to fall into two groups. The first believes wholeheartedly that stealing is stealing. These individuals are inclined to agree with the felony charge. The second group is more sympathetic to an esteemed member of the Binghamton community. These people usually think he should be made to repay the money, and be put on some sort of probation.

I lean toward the second group. I think the appropriate course of action would have been an apology, a repayment and a guarantee that something like this would never happen again. Someone that’s been responsible for bringing millions upon millions of dollars to our school should not be shamed for hundreds, even if taken in the most malicious of spirit ‘ which, importantly, has not yet been proved.

It’s shocking to me that such a successful academic career can be totally destroyed over $400. All it takes is a dumb mistake and forget about your doctorate. What’s the likelihood of this professor finding a future career in academia? I don’t like his odds.

In the past couple of years, we’ve had ethical issues at Binghamton that make Desu’s alleged rule-breaking seem trivial. I think the right move here was a slap on the wrist, not the total shaming of one of our most successful academics.