Letters to the Editor

By Readers Like You

“Crazy Dave” Weighs In 

Dear Claremont Student,

Although some of the recent issues focus on stories of sensational or entertainment nature, the quality of the writing has improved consistently in recent years. If these are the stories the students want to read and they are well written I don’t have a problem with it. You guys seem to do a pretty good job of interviewing people on different sides of the issue in most issues.

One story I was upset about was the one of the CMS track coach. I would agree that this coach, staff member, leadership figure could be seen as unstable and causing dissent among student athletes. However your story leads readers to that conclusion only by being propagandized. It is clear to anyone that ever wrote a news story (or read one for that matter) that the coach was misled by your staff member and given no chance to confront the implications of his sanity/stability/character that your issues rose. While there were mentions of incidents regarding former or current student-athletes that seemed out of character for him no current or past student athletes on the receiving end of these incidents spoke even anonymously. So basically you guys had a major story in your newspaper when neither the supposed perpetrator or victims had any chance to respond to the focus and implications of this story. It seemed to me that the coach was just interviewed on his coaching philosophies and how he arrived at them, merely so you can say you interviewed him and give him a few lines. As journalists aren’t you supposed to be able to ask “the hard questions”? 

Based on the information presented, if I was a juror on these issues I would not say he’s innocent, but I would have to say he’s not guilty. Justice would be the guy being given an equal amount of length in a future issue to present his side of the story and all relevant pieces of information or viewpoints to that affect.

-Dave Coleman (Pitzer College)

 March 21, 2005

Weiner? That’s Hilarious 

When I open a college newspaper, I don’t expect a lot.  It’s almost a given that a significant portion of the articles will revolve around sex and alcohol, and much of the writing might best be described as “rough” stylistically.  None of this upsets me; in fact, I think it’s important that young writers have a medium such as this on which to cut their teeth.  It’s hardly highbrow reading, but it’s not tripe either, and occasionally there are some really good articles.

That being said, I’m disappointed.  Upon opening the paper today one of the first articles that caught my eye was in your quickies section,

titled “New CGU President has Silly Name.”  Hey, way to lower the bar for your paper!  I’m sure all of the writers that contributed time and effort to your publication appreciate being associated with this kind of quality journalistic effort.   I vaguely recall the last time I heard someone mocking a guy because his name sounded funny... let’s see... when was that??  Oh yeah!  It was in high school!  Yeah, I was a freshman and there was this teacher named Mr. Weiner!  WEINER!  Man that was great!  Ha ha... oh... wait... no, that wasn’t great... that was juvenile and pathetic.  So was your blurb.

-Justin Gries (Harvey Mudd College)

 March 28, 2005