The University of Wisconsin Dean of Students office hosted a question-and-answer session in Bascom Hall Monday, providing a safe place for students to share their thoughts about UW sophomore Audrey Seiler’s abduction, which turned out to be a hoax.

The session started with an explanation of the steps UW took from the initial report of a missing student to the Madison Police exposing Seiler’s story as bogus. No information on her standing at the university or any exact details were released.

Dean of Students Luoluo Hong told the audience of roughly 40 students who attended the session that the meeting was confidential, in order to create a safe haven for people to truly express their views. All interviews and ideas garnered for this article were gathered outside of the event.

UW senior Alex May did not believe all questions got equal consideration by the UW staffers running the meeting.

“The only good point that I heard wasn’t really acknowledged,” May said. “I think they’re being selective to what they want to talk about in there.”

The “good point” made by May’s friend, Mae Singerman, was the intense focus on the Seiler case, as she claims, due to her status as a female student.

“To me, the most intriguing part of this case is basically the [fetish] of white college coeds,” Singerman said. “And because she’s cute and pretty she got a lot of national attention.”

Singerman said it would be “great” if all missing people got as much coverage as Seiler did, but unfortunately this does not occur.

“The problem is the media,” May said, adding that the barrage of Seiler stories will most likely not cease. “They’ll definitely drag it up more … They’ll put up whatever they can.”

Singerman added that people she knew from her high school who turned up missing did not garner the attention Seiler did.

“Just make sure you’re pretty if you want to run away,” Singerman said.

Singerman and May also agreed UW’s focus is centered on the image surrounding Madison and the university.

“This whole thing is a [public-relations] thing. The only thing they wanted to talk about was how this thing affects the image of [UW] to the whole world,” May said.

UW student Rachel Bruha said that even though she was expecting a more information-based meeting, she believed the conversation was helpful.

“I expected a bigger turnout, but I think it is a good idea that people are given a resource to come here and talk about it,” Bruha said. “It’s a university issue, and I think it’s good that the university is willing to hold a place where people can openly discuss it.”

With the campus and UW administration divided on what to think about Seiler’s future at UW, and the final decision proving to be far in the future, Singerman expressed strong feelings.

“I think she should be expelled,” she said. “I think she should have to work at a job and pay back $70,000 that she cost [the city].”