.Student reacts to resident assitant profile article

To the Editor:

Last week I was misquoted in an article concerning the Resident Life Staff. As an RA I was asked to comment on why I wanted the position and what I was hoping to get out of the experience. The statement in the Loquitur read that I like being an RA because I "like living at free room and board." Unfortunately, it is not just the faulty grammar of this statement that upsets me_. I did not give this information to the reporter with whom I spoke. For me, there are many other aspects of being an RA that take precedence over this one, including helping people and being an active part of the environment in which I live. I can assure everyone that benefits of being an RA far exceed receiving free room and board. For if they did not, there would either be 17 very miserable men and women on our staff, or there would be no staff at all.

I am also writing this letter out of concern for the quality of journalism the Loquitur represents. Several times throughout the past two years I have been interviewed by members of the newspaper staff. Each time I have cooperated and been honest with all that I have said. I am not afraid to be directly quoted or even paraphrased in any article. I do mind having words, that are not mine, placed into my mouth by those whom have interviewed me. I am quite concerned that I am not the only victim of this extreme violation. The fact that this has happened to me on more than one occasion concerns me that the quality of the newspaper that is being produced by the college is less than acceptable.

If one is given the privilege of writing and reporting for the Loquitur, I would hope that they would have the decency and respect to be honest in what they say about those of whom they report. Reporters and editors must realize that the printed word is not something to be dealt with on a meaningless basis. It is very important to be sure that what you write is totally· accurate before it is published. What is wrongly stated cannot be as easily retracted as you would like to think. Those who allow many mistakes and misinterpretations to exist in their periodical cannot always guarantee the same readers will read a retraction or a correction.

The articles in the Loquitur that have misquoted what I have said have caused minimal inconvenience in my life. However, it would displease me greatly to see it happen to any degree again. I would like to caution the journalists of this college to be careful in what they print and to be accurate in what they say is true. For is it not some sense of truth that you seek in publishing this paper?

Sincerely,

Caroline Smith, junior