A Philadelphia Inquirer blog, Blinq, reports that Penn's president issued this statement:

Each year, the president hosts a Halloween party for Penn students. More than 700 students attend. They all crowd around to have their picture taken with me in costume. This year, one student who had a toy gun in hand had his picture taken with me before it was obvious to me that he was dressed as a suicide bomber. He posted the photo on a website and it was picked up on several other websites.

People have since complained to me that the costume was offensive. But for Pete's sake, this is a Halloween party, with a bunch of college kids trying to be creative, including trying to be creative with a theme of "dressing as scary evil things." Suicide bombers are scary evil things. Maybe they're too scary evil, or scary evil in the wrong way, or who knows what. But there's no rule book that he should have consulted on the subject; it's a matter of taste and judgment on which reasonable people can differ. Cut him some slack. I say again, it's a Halloween party; even if he went over the fuzzy line, how much public outrage does it merit?

Oh, whoops, sorry -- that was the statement that Penn's president issued in my dreams. Here's the statement she issued in reality:

Each year, the president hosts a Halloween party for Penn students. More than 700 students attend. They all crowd around to have their picture taken with me in costume. This year, one student who had a toy gun in hand had his picture taken with me before it was obvious to me that he was dressed as a suicide bomber. He posted the photo on a website and it was picked up on several other websites.

The costume is clearly offensive and I was offended by it. As soon as I realized what his costume was, I refused to take any more pictures with him, as he requested. The student had the right to wear the costume just as I, and others, have a right to criticize his wearing of it.

OK, Dr. Gutmann, he had a right to wear the costume, you have a right to criticize the wearing of it, and I have the right to criticize your and everyone else's taking this so seriously. (Of course, they also have the right to criticize my taking their taking it so seriously so seriously.) Only mildly, mind you, especially in your case, since University President is not a job that generally allows "Oh, calm down already" press releases. I suppose you did what you had to do.

But, boy, I wish you'd put out my version of the press release instead.