Penn State University's obsession with its image and convenient disregard for its students became blatantly obvious last week when University Police chose not to release information about two dorm room break-ins until more than 24 hours after the fact.

In likely related incidents, two residents of Penn State residence halls were attacked and threatened in their dorm rooms during the early morning hours of July 11 by an unknown assailant.

One victim, a freshman resident of Haller Hall, said the man covered her mouth and threatened to kill her before he stole some money and left the room.

Another victim, a 20-year-old employee of a Penn State high school program and resident of Cooper Hall, also told police that she fought with the man before he fled.

These events occurred between 5 and 5:30 a.m., and police said they were notified of both by 11 a.m. that same day.

However, despite repeated phone calls from The Daily Collegian to University Police over a span of many hours, no one at the department would confirm or deny rumors of the attack or release a promised press release to the student newspaper.

Only because of quality reporting were students notified of the attacks in the next day's newspaper and able to use that information to ensure their safety.

A vague and relatively useless safety alert did appear on the university's Penn State Live Web site, www.live.psu.edu, at about 10:30 that night.

But not until 11 a.m. the next day - nearly 30 hours after the first attack - did a press release from University Police arrive at the Collegian's fax machine as the first police confirmation that these attacks had even occurred.

What reason other than saving face could there be for a police department, which is run by the university, to wait such a long period of time before releasing a statement on such a serious matter?

Regardless of anyone's personal opinion on any specific newspaper, there is no better way to notify the public of something they need to know than to release information to the local media.

Students deserved to know that a potentially dangerous person had been entering unlocked dorm rooms. Of all situations handled by police, this, more than any other, is the type that requires public notification as a means of helping the students they claim to "protect and serve."

This is unacceptable, and students should be outraged by the delayed response.