Administrators will surely be using the coming weeks to evaluate what, if any, policy changes the University should take in the wake of the Azia Kim incident. Despite the drama that has surrounded the exposure of the masquerade, there is little cause for alarm or paranoia.

Neither should we heed the vocal faction salivating for the proverbial blood of a young woman who, uncharged with any crime, has been the target of relentless national media attention. It is time, rather, to forgive this stressed-out Stanford hopeful, who was only able to carry on her self-destructive deception because we didn’t pay enough attention to her.

What is needed instead is a renewed focus on communication and engagement throughout Student Housing and Residential Education, especially among those students on the front lines of dorm community — Resident Assistants (RAs).

Despite the fact that some students feel as though their safety or the security of their belongings has been compromised by Kim’s actions, this series of events is not in any way comparable to a theft or a mugging. If thieves wanted to rob a Stanford dorm, they would not choose to infiltrate the housing system and the friendship circles of two undergraduate dorms over an eight month period; they would simply break a window and take what they wanted.

We hope that administrators will not take these events as a sign that a security crackdown is necessary or warranted. The campus was no less secure during the eight months in which a young woman posed as a student, and we hope that the police do not overreact.

Although heightened security is unnecessary, the incident does highlight the importance of communication at all levels of the University’s bureaucratic apparatus. The arrival of a new student to a dorm should be the subject of a dialogue between Student Housing and dorm RAs. As the on-site representatives of Residential Education, RAs — who receive quarterly listings of their residents — should be active and aware of what is going on in their halls. When they are notified of new arrivals, RAs should be proactive in saying hello. If the Housing record and the names of students living on a hall do not match, RAs should alert the proper authorities. This is, after all, what they’re paid to do.

While the incident demonstrates the existence of troubling cracks in the ResEd system, one positive point is worth noting. The fact that two students in Kimball and another in Okada all accommodated Kim by sharing their rooms with her speaks to the trusting and friendly nature of our student body. Although the incident can be viewed as a result of naivety or ignorance on the part of roommates, dorm staff and housing services, Kim’s story is also a reflection of the open and accepting personalities of those same people. We are proud to boast having students who were friendly and welcoming to what appeared to be a fellow student looking for a place to stay.