Student Name Should Not Have Been Released

The purpose of a university newspaper is not to depict students or the school in a negative light, but to talk about positive stories, current events, campus activities etc. Now imagine a high school kid looking to come to RMU, a parent wishing to send his/her daughter here...they decide to pick up the December 12th edition of the sentry...front page..."RMU Student Faces Multiple Drug Charges." What a great way to promote the school! This was in very bad taste for a front page article... Speaking for myself and other students I have spoken to, this is our school and we don't want articles like this on the front page of our school newspaper.

A very important function of a university newspaper -- something that a PR office cannot supply -- is giving students the opportunity to practice journalism. And students cannot practice journalism unless they have the editorial freedom to publish stories that will make some people uncomfortable.  Surely RMU already has a venue for publicizing all the positive stories.

Because the student faces a felony charge, and had already been suspended from classes and kicked out of the dorms as per RMU policy, the event seems newsworthy. I would like to have seen evidence that attempts were made to get the accused student's side of the story, but the article does include a quote describing what will happen if the student is found not guilty -- a clear reminder to the public that the courts have not yet heard the case.

Perhaps the author of this letter (Jason?) should join the staff of the Sentry and work his way up to being on the editorial board, where he can help make decisions such as where to place stories, whether to name names, and whether to publish critical letters to the editor without fully identifying the author.