My God it felt good. I was (breathlessly, blast you damned heart) singing Christmas Carols under my breath as I brushed the snow. All the lights and Christmas displays in the world won't trigger that elusive Holiday Spirit in me, but looking out and seeing the world transformed into a white playground does it every time. I felt great coming in, and noticing the way the light reflects off of surfaces all around you.

Which is good, as there was unpleasantness abounding in all directions today.

The core of the matter is: one of our students (scratch that: one of my students, as an intern) decided it would be just heaps of fun to mess around with another student (who was also an intern, don't you just love it.) So, having physical access to the computer of the second student (who we shall refer to as Victim), the first student (who we shall call Moron) decided to set up a remote access account on Victim's computer. Moron then went back to his own room, logged onto Victim's computer remotely, and proceeded to utterly nuke it. Trashed all the files, then zeroed out the hard drive. He left a particularly banal quote from Hackers, a movie that got under six stars on the Internet Movie Database, which means at best it's banal too.

Moron did this, I would add, in full view of Victim's roommate.

The Dean was called, and confronted Moron. Moron admitted everything, and therefore gave us the most possible options in a case where sheer and utter stupidity has driven a person to act dumb.

Victim was shell-shocked, at best. This is a violation. Of privacy. Of personal rights. Of respect. Of property. It was like Moron had taken out all of Victim's clothes, urinated on them and set them on fire.

Moron was asked why he did it. His answer was "I don't know." I therefore blame demonic possession, as Moron has always been a highly enthusiastic, good kid. On citizenship his whole career. A straight arrow.

Except he's crooked now, right?

We went around this for days. Criminal charges were considered by Victim's parents, then dropped. Our own internal mechanisms had to wrestle with it. In a lot of ways it's new ground, determining the punishment for computer crimes. For instance, Victim regularly backed his computer up. He only had a few files get lost. Is this therefore more like vandalism or destruction of private property? Or neither?

All I know is, Victim felt horrid, Moron felt horrid, and we felt horrid. An out and out stupid thing to do. So what do you do to him?

Well, ultimately we chose not to expel him, though he'll wish we did sometimes, with the punishments being heaped on. But Victim felt wronged by that -- why should this kid get another chance, with what he did?

For me... I guess it comes back to redemption. Is anyone -- especially on a first offense -- so irredeemable that you never give them a second chance? Is anyone so dishonored by one stupid act that you don't search for some way to lead him back? Or do we punish everything with decapitation, regardless of circumstance?

I think Moron has a chance to evolve beyond Moronic behavior. I think he has a shot at regaining the trust of his fellows. Eventually. If he's lucky. If he washes away the stain of dishonor the right way.

If not -- well, you can't be on thinner ice and still not be in the drink. We'll see.

Besides, we have to try redemption. It's Christmas, damn it. I can prove it. It snowed today.