On Nov. 9, 2011, the U.S. Department of Education announced it was launching an investigation at Penn State University concerning the reporting methods, or lack thereof, in the sexual assault cases involving young athletes and former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky. The USDE has the power to investigate Penn State and all universities who are a part of the federal financial aid program under the Clery Act and can potentially take away the university’s option to offer financial aid or levy fines up to $27,500 per violation.

Penn State’s Sandusky case is high-profile national news — there’s no doubt about that. Everyone from CNN and ESPN to Perez Hilton have weighed in. When a university president and reigning football coach get fired, it’s big news.

So it’s no surprise that with the Penn State scandal exploding before us, the nation is considering other universities that have been or are being investigated by the USDE for similar reasons, including Eastern Michigan, Arizona State, Dominican College and Notre Dame. And Marquette.

To date, national and local news outlets such as the Journal Sentinel, the Chicago Tribune, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, the Washington Post and even the New York Times have covered or mentioned Marquette’s Clery Act inquiry with Penn State’s. That seems to make our inquiry big news as well.

According to the Journal Sentinel and Chicago Tribune, Marquette was notified by the USDE on Oct. 4 that a “paper investigation” of the university’s procedures in the past year’s sexual assault cases was underway, but the investigation was never mentioned to students at that time. To the best of our knowledge, the first mention of this investigation came last Thursday, when news outlets began reporting about the investigation in connection with the Sandusky case.

We understand the investigation is ongoing and a determination letter has not been issued, nor have on-campus interviews been requested. However, the university should have kept the Marquette community aware of this investigation.

In the wake of the sexual assault cases and its criticized handling, the administration promised more transparency and improved practices. Failing to mention the USDE’s investigation of  how last year’s sexual assault cases were handled seems pretty opaque.

A wish for transparency is not a call for mass panic on campus or for students to rise up and riot. But we must be aware and make sure the administration is still accountable for carrying out the reforms promised.

We deserve, as a community, to be notified of such things. The Rev. Scott Pilarz has made it a focus of his presidency to work with the community and keep us aware of what is going on with major campus issues, as his letters concerning sexual assault, the Big East and his most recent summary of his first 100 days prove. So why has this one point been pushed aside?

There have been opportunities to mention the investigation, in News Briefs, the Big East letter and even last Thursday’s 100 days recap. Since there could possibly be legal consequences or fines levied, this investigation should be treated as any of the other big news stories on campus that have already been addressed.

We are all invested in this school, and no one enjoys seeing Marquette grouped with Penn State. But that is the situation we face, and we must face it head-on, like the great institution that we claim to be.

This starts with sticking to our promises and not making the mistake of choosing institutional convenience over transparency.